Files case: Officer registers FIR, Delhi govt dares him to name accused
The FIR was lodged on Thursday at IP Estate police station on the basis of a factual report submitted by Rajasekhar
Delhi Police has lodged a first information report (FIR) against unidentified people over the alleged unauthorised removal of confidential files from the office of the Capital’s special vigilance secretary YVVJ Rajasekhar on May 16, officers aware of the development said on Friday.
The Delhi government called the FIR, lodged on Thursday at IP Estate police station on the basis of a report Rajasekhar, “false”.
In the complaint, the official has alleged that a “trespassing was done by the suspects, into the room of special secretary (vigilance) in the intervening night of May 15 and 16, for the purpose of tampering with the records with malafide intentions”, police said. Rajasekhar also alleged “important evidence/files/records might have been destroyed or taken away” in the process, they said.
The Delhi government hit out at Rajasekhar, alleging that the official has in the past illegally “kept sensitive vigilance files for ulterior motives.”
Rajasekhar, who the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has accused of corruption, has also said in the report that he was framed using a forged document.
“In the intervening night of 15/16.05.23, some confidential record/files were unauthorizedly taken from his office located in Delhi Secretariat and photocopied and during that some important evidence/files/records might have been destroyed or taken away. Also, the confidentially of the record compromised to destroy the evidence and to derail the investigation of such important cases. A frivolous complaint was made against him using the name & letter of Abhinav Samaj, an NGO to disrepute him. Whereas Abhinav Samaj (NGO) denied to have made any such complaint...,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named.
“We have registered the case against unknown persons under sections 380 (theft), 464 (making of a false document in the name of a fictitious person), 465 (forgery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, Delhi vigilance minister Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the complaint being filed against unidentified people.
According to the minister, secretary vigilance Sudhir Kumar, earlier in a written note, said that the files were removed on his order.
“Mr Sudhir Kumar, secretary vigilance was appointed by LG not us. He had clearly written on 16.5.2023 to CS Mr Naresh Kumar that shadow files were created on his directions. Nothing to do with minister and it was in knowledge of his junior Mr Rajshekhar. Still false FIR against unknown?” Bharadwaj said in a tweet on Friday, also attaching the vigilance secretary’s letter.
Rajasekhar has been in the eye of a storm since May 13, when Bharadwaj, who also holds the services portfolio, divested him of all duties, citing allegations of corruption and extortion soon after the Supreme Court gave the power over services to the Delhi government. The official later alleged that some of his files “were copied by unknown people”, shortly after he was shunted.
He was eventually reinstated days after the Union government issued an ordinance effectively nullifying the Supreme Court judgment that gave the elected Delhi administration power over the city’s bureaucratic machinery.
In his letter to chief secretary Naresh Kumar, vigilance secretary Sudhir Kumar said that he “directed staff of personal branch... to get the main files from room no 403 for creation of shadow files”. This was done, according to Sudhir Kumar, to prevent losing “some papers of the file”, which would “become very very serious issue”.
Only Rajasekhar was informed about making of shadow files, Kumar said in the letter, adding that the main files were later kept back in the former’s room. He also stated that no such file was given to the services minister.HT has seen the copy of the letter.
In a note, Rajasekhar said that he retained some files even after he was divested of his duties.
“...YVVJ Rajshekhar in his note has accepted that when work was withdrawn from him, he sent 76 files to his boss (vigilance secretary). Why did he retain the rest of the files? Was it not illegal to retain files when work was withdrawn? If files were tampered with, who tampered the files? He and his boss should answer,” Bharadwaj said. Rajasekhar and Sudhir Kumar did not respond to queries for comments.
Rajasekhar has been at the helm of several probes against the Delhi government, including the excise policy, advertising expenses, alleged instances of “spying” on officers, as well as expenses made while renovating the CM’s residence.
“Rajasekhar is allegedly a habitual offender who has been time and again reprimanded... for illegally keeping possession of sensitive Vigilance files for ulterior motives.... in August 2019, he along with his colleague were keeping sensitive files illegally, with a possibility of tampering or destroying them, even when he had been transferred from NDMC,” a Delhi government spokesperson said.