Delhi Assembly Speaker Goel writes to LG Saxena on Research Centre fellow issue

New Delhi [India]: Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has written a letter to Lieutenant-Governor V K Saxena stating that any action taken against fellows of the Delhi Assembly Research Centre (DARC) can be treated as a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.

On the instructions of the LG Saxena, the services department of the Delhi government in a July 5 communication ordered the termination of services of advisors, fellows, associate fellows and specialists, among others, for which no approval was taken from the LG.

Following this, the finance department of the Delhi Government stepped in and ordered all the departments and agencies not to release the salaries of such engaged persons.

Stating that there was no need to remove the fellows and advisors, Goel said that the communications were issued in a “hurried manner”.

“These communications issued by the services department and finance department appear to have been issued hurriedly without examining the matter in detail or seeking legal opinion or the views of the affected stakeholders,” Goel said in the letter.

Goel argued that the fellows and associate fellows are engaged after following due process.
“The fellows, associate fellows of DARC were engaged after following the due process of engagement as required by law. As they are based on flawed reasoning, these communications are fit to be declared void ab initio (having no legal effect from inception),” the Speaker said.

Goel also argued that the programme does not fall under the purview of services. “The programme is not an appointment or employment per se and does not fall under the purview of services,” he said.