Delhi Assembly passes a resolution against Rakesh Asthana’s appointment as Commissioner of Delhi Police

On July 27, Asthana was appointed as the New Delhi police commissioner. He is an IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre where he is scheduled to retire on July 31. 

On June 29, the Delhi Assembly passed a resolution against Rakesh Asthana’s appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner, urging the Ministry of Home Affairs to reverse the appointment.

According to The Hindu report, the resolution was moved by Sanjeev Jha, MLA of Aam Aadmi Party.

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On July 27, Asthana was appointed as the New Delhi police commissioner. He is an IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre where he is scheduled to retire on July 31.

At present, he is the chief of the Border Security Force (BSF). Earlier, he was a special director in the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI).

In a tweet, AAP notified that his appointment as Delhi Police Commissioner is “illegal”, as it was done four days before his retirement.

Questioning on the appointment, AAP legislator raised the issue under rule 55 of the Delhi assembly. Sanjeev Jha voiced, appointment of Rakesh Jha as the Delhi police commissioner was a ‘violation of a Supreme Court Judgement’.

He added, “In 2019, the SC ruled that no officer with less than six months of tenure left should be named for top jobs. In fact, Asthana was the front runner for being the CBI Chief in May 2019, but was dropped after the top court pointed the same in its ruling.” Along with him, Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, Somnath Bharti and Satyendar Jain too raised their voice on the issue.

However on the other hand, Ramveer Singh Bidhuri who is the senior BJP leader defended the Centre’s decision emphasizing multiple extraordinary works by Asthana during his long service tenure. He further noted that Asthana received President award in 2009.

Bidhuri expressed, “The house must welcome Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police commissioner. His service period and works have set an example in this country. He will work for the betterment of Delhi.”

Furthermore, he added that individuals who are honest should not worry from Asthana’s appointment as he takes tough actions against those who are corrupt.