Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s private secretary, Bibhav Kumar, was terminated from his post on Wednesday on the grounds of ‘illegal appointment’.
The vigilance department issued a statement saying that Bibhav Kumar was fired as the private secretary to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, effective immediately. The statement said that the decision was taken after looking into Kumar’s legal issues and how he was hired.
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The department added that following a detailed examination of Kumar’s legal entanglements and a breach in following due procedures for his appointment, the decision was made to terminate him from his services.
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This move comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday questioned Kumar in the Delhi excise policy case. An FIR lodged against Bibhav Kumar was also cited as the reason behind his termination.
The complainant Mahesh Pal, who was then serving at the development authority, filed a case stating that an FIR was lodged under sections 353/504/506 of the IPC against four individuals, including Bibhav Kumar, for obstructing a public servant from performing their duties and for verbally abusing/threatening him.
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The FIR also mentioned that despite the non-arrest of Bibhav Kumar and another accused, Rajeev Kumar, a charge sheet was submitted to the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court, where it remains pending.
The vigilance department acknowledged not doing a proper background check on Bibhav Kumar’s pending criminal case before his appointment. They noted concerns raised by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) regarding appointments without prior verification of character and antecedents, consequently leading to his engagement being terminated.