Hours after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena on Friday turned down Vigilance Minister Atishi’s proposal to review his earlier stand with regards to charges made by her in a ‘Preliminary Report’ against Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar in Bamnoli land acquisition matter, the Delhi government dubbed the move as “unfortunate”.
Reacting on the development, a Delhi government official, on condition of anonymity, said: “It’s sincerely unfortunate for Delhi and its people. The L-G has turned down all the plausible arguments even after the Preliminary Enquiry Report by the Vigilance Minister established the links between the Chief Secretary’s son and the beneficiaries in the Bamnoli land acquisition case.”
“What harm would it have caused to the public’s interest, in initiating a thorough investigation by the CBI or higher investigative authorities pertaining to this issue? What is there to hide that no enquiry is being conducted?” the official asked.
He also said that it’s all evident from the start since the “Central government is adamant about extending this ‘special’ officer’s services and vouching for him in the Supreme Court”.
Atishi had shared a file pertaining to the preliminary report on November 14.
According to Raj Bhawan officials, the L-G has noted that the resubmitted file was nothing but “re-spinning of theories” by the minister and there were “no new facts presented to buttress her illogical arguments”.
The L-G noted that it appears that the “entire exercise or intention for resubmission of the file was only an attempt to mislead the general public and the courts from the core issue for reasons best known to the minister”.
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