Delhi Government will initiate disciplinary proceedings against IAS YVVJ Rajasekhar after receiving multiple complaints against him. Services Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj has submitted a formal request to Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, appealing for the immediate transfer of tainted IAS officer YVVJ Rajasekhar. The letter details the history of corruption and misconduct of Rajasekhar, who is currently posted as Special Secretary Vigilance in the Delhi Government. The Services Minister has stated that swift action needs to be taken against the IAS to protect official records and ensure the safety of employees.
In a detailed dossier submitted to the CM, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj has shed light on the alarming record of Rajasekhar’s involvement in various acts of corruption and misconduct. The officer has a long history of being on radar of CBI, CVC & Vigilance and is in habit of keeping unauthorised possession of sensitive Vigilance files for ulterior motives. The minister expressed grave concerns regarding the negative impact of Rajasekhar’s presence in the Vigilance Department, highlighting the urgent need for his transfer or removal. He has denounced Rajasekhar for his continuous dissemination of false, frivolous, and concocted misinformation for personal gain. Drawing attention to the violation of AIS (Conduct) Rules 1968, the Minister has called for disciplinary proceedings to be initiated against Rajasekhar, ensuring that appropriate action is taken to address his transgressions.
Additionally, he has recommended that the numerous complaints of corrupt practices and misconduct involving Rajasekhar be referred to an investigative agency. The charges against Rajasekhar include blatant insubordination, undisciplined behaviour, falsification of material facts, and other serious transgressions.
As per the note submitted by the Services Minister to the CM, on 13.05.2023 all work assigned to YVVJ Rajasekhar was withdrawn with immediate effect in lieu of a complaint alleging that he was running an extortion racket and demanding protection money. The same directions were reiterated in another note made on 13.05.2023 issued by the Services Minister, wherein it was further directed that all Assistant Directors of Vigilance Department should put up files directly to Secretary (Vig.). Secretary (Vig.) was further directed to take custody of all files being held by Special Secretary (Vig.) apprehending that the latter will resort to tampering and destructing the official records.
“At no stage, as is amply clear from the above referenced orders, were any instructions issued to Secretary (Vig.) to put up files to the office of the Minister. Despite these written orders, Shri YVVJ Rajasekhar has deliberately, willfully and illegally held hostage umpteen files pertaining to Vigilance Department, seemingly due to ulterior motives. Furthermore, rather than complying with instructions of his superiors and submitting himself to fair investigation, he resorted to concocting false and frivolous stories and sharing them widely in the media to undermine the credibility of the functioning of Minister In-charge and Secretary(Vig.) of GNCTD,” the note reads.
Further as per the note, in doing so, Rajasekhar is guilty of blatant violation of:
a. Rule-3(1)(1A), 3(2)(2A),(2B)(vi)(vii)(x)(xii) and Rule-3(3)(1)(i)of AIS Rules which prescribes several general as well as specific behaviours for the conduct of officers to ensure integrity and devotion of duty.
b. Rule-7 of AIS Rules whereby all AIS officers have been barred from criticising the Government. Rule-7, inter-alia, states that no member of the Service shall, in any radio broadcast or communication over any public media or in any document published anonymously, pseudonymously or in his own name or in the name of any other person or in any communication to the press or in any public utterance, make any statement of fact or opinion,- (i) Which has the effect of an adverse criticism of any current or recent policy or action of the Central Government or a State Government; or (ii) which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the Central Government and any State Government; or (iii)…
C. Rule-9 of AIS Rules which deals with unauthorised communication of information. This Rule stipulates that no member of the Service shall except in accordance with any general or special order of the Government or in the performance in good faith of duties assigned to him, communicate directly or indirectly any official document or part thereof or information to any Government servant or any other person to whom he is not authorised to communicate such document or information.
d. Rule-17 of AIS Rules which, inter-alia, mentions “Vindication of acts and character of members of the Service. No member of the Service shall, except with the previous sanction of the Government, have recourse to any court or to the press for the vindication of an official act which has been the subject matter of adverse criticism or attack of a defamatory character….”.
e. Rule-18 of the AIS Rules which, inter-alia, mentions “No member of the Service shall bring or attempt to bring any political or other influence to bear upon any superior authority to further interests in respect of matters pertaining to his service under the Government.”
The note further reveals that Rajasekhar has a long history of being under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of GNCTD under different corruption-related cases throughout his career. “After my taking over as Minister, there were a myriad number of occasions when allegations claiming unlawful, deceitful and felonious acts of Rajasekhar came to my notice, due to which it was deemed appropriate and in public interest to have the same investigated in a fair and transparent manner. Here, it would be prudent to place on record that just in the last week, a serious allegation has been received against Rajasekhar who has been alleged to be the mastermind behind a “Cash for Compassionate Jobs scam” totalling to Rs 15 crores in the Services Department,” the note states.
The said complaint claims that Rajasekhar has been running an organised racket demanding Rs 5 lakhs for each genuine placement on compassionate grounds, totalling to Rs 15 crores for 300 such candidates, the complainant being one of them. A perusal of his representation raises serious questions as to whether Rajasekhar has indeed misused his official position to extract crores of rupees from the dependents of employees of Delhi Government who had died in service.
It has also been alleged that with the sole motto to pressurise higher-ups in the Government not to handover the charge of his seat thus enabling him to manipulate his misdeeds and create an atmosphere of sensationalization, YVVJ Rajasekhar leaked the contents of his two official letters dated 15.05.2023 and dated 16.05.2023, both sent by him to Secretary(Vig.) to the media.
In the letter dated 15.05.2023 Rajasekhar sought to connect the directions of the Minister withdrawing all work assigned to him with a specific case being investigated by the Vigilance Department, suggesting ulterior motives without presenting any evidence or fact to substantiate the same. “Rather than submitting himself to a fair investigation, he repeatedly attacked the actions of his Minister-in-charge. He subsequently proceeded to attack the Secretary to Minister-in-charge as well in this letter, which was leaked immediately to the media. This amounts to an act of direct insubordination and unethical behaviour on multiple counts. It also begs the question that if he had done nothing wrong, why did he resort to attacking his superiors rather than submitting himself to a fair investigation?,” the note states.
Furthermore, in the letter dated 16.05.2023 Rajasekhar has alleged that some person has illegally entered into his office in the intervening night of 15th May 2023 and 16th May 2023 and taken copies of sensitive files, and potentially even bugged his room. “He has claimed in this letter that these files were being copied to be sent to the Minister, although no such instructions were ever issued. However, on 16.05.2023, it was clearly communicated to the Minister by the Secretary (Vigilance) that shadow files were created on the instructions of the Secretary (Vigilance),” the note reads.
Notably, the Secretary Vigilance had submitted before the Minister that he in his prudence/wisdom thought that in case some papers of the file got lost, it may become very very serious cases including the CBI case in the matter. Therefore, shadow files are created on line of seizure of documents by CBI. Secretary (Vig.) had personally telephoned Rajasekhar at about 8.00 a.m. on 16.05.2023 confirming that he had directed his staff members to make out shadow-files of some important vigilance files.
Further, the Minister calls for an investigation stating in his note that in compliance with the said instructions, it was known to Rajasekhar that on the intervening night of 15-16th May, 2023, it were the official staff members of Secretary(Vig.) who were copying files to make out shadow files. Regardless, Rajasekhar preferred to blow the incident out of proportion, and leaked false, frivolous and concocted information to the media through his letter dt. 16.05.2023. Through his letter dated 16.05.2023 Rajasekhar has also accepted that despite being given written instructions to send all files in his possession to his immediate superior i.e. Secretary (Vig.), he decided to deliberately and willfully defy these orders and selectively kept some files with him, purportedly to tamper with and destroy official Government records.
“It begs the question under what law or rule can a subordinate officer decide that some files are too sensitive for his superior officer, and he alone is wise or competent enough to keep them, despite having received written instructions? The only logical explanation is that he sought to defy the orders of his superior officer and selectively kept the custody of some files with himself to protect his own interests by tampering or destroying official records, which needs to be thoroughly investigated,” the note reads.
The note also mentions that Rajasekhar was also working at the post of Special Secretary (Services) as on 11th May, 2023. And because of aforementioned reasons, it was directed via a note dated 15.05.2023 that all his work in the Services Department should be transferred to his counterpart (another Spl Secretary (Services) Ms Kinny Singh). However, even in the Services Department, in spite of multiple verbal and written instructions, many files related to the Services Department were not handed over by Rajshekhar to his counterparts. It was also informed to the Minister through a handwritten note dated 16.5.2023 from Ms Kinny Singh and Shri Amitabh Joshi that Rajshekhar was still in possession of files of the Services Department.
“In this regard, it may be noted that this is not the first occasion when Rajasekar has indulged in this modus-operandi. He is in a habit of violating Rules mentioned in Para-1 above and Rule-3(1)(1A), as 3(2)(2A),(28)(vi)(vii)(x)(xii) and Rule-3(3)(i)(ii) of AIS Rules in as much as when the said officer was posted in NDMC, he blatantly, deliberately and willfully defied order/instructions of his superior officers to handover some important files. His malafide intention and nefarious designs for indulging in corrupt practices are explicitly proven from the complaint/directions issued by the then Secretary (NDMC) dated 08.08.2019 expressing concerns about his habitual conduct of keeping sensitive files for ulterior motives in NDMC, even though he had been repatriated to GNCTD by then,” the note states.
Concluding his note, Services Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj has started that from the facts, circumstances and chronology of events, it is explicitly clear that a senior officer, holding a sensitive post is directly indulging in violating Rules of AIS Rules and spreading false, frivolous and concocted misinformation for personal gains. “This also raises the question as to why is the officer concerned holding on to some files and preventing even his immediate superiors from accessing it, and whether he has himself indulged in tampering or destroying them,” the note reads.
With a view to safeguard the official records and watch the interest of the employees of GNCTD, the Minister has strongly recommended that YVVJ Rajasekar, Special Secretary, should be:
a. Ordered to be transferred/removed from the Vigilance Department with immediate effect,
b. Disciplinary proceedings under AIS (D&A) Rules 1969 should be initiated against him for violation of AIS (Conduct) Rules 1968 Rule- 3(1)(1A), Rule 3(2)(2A),(28) (vi)(vii)(x)(xii), Rule-3(3)(1)(u), Rule-7, Rule- 9, Rule-17 and Rule-18, and
c. Various complaints of corrupt practices and his acts/deeds in discharge of official duties may be referred to an investigative agency.
