8 officers posted in Delhi govt, MCD allege harassment by AAP dispensation: Raj Niwas officials
New Delhi (PTI): As many as eight officers posted in the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have alleged "blatant harassment" by the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation, officials in the LG Office claimed on Saturday.
No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital over the allegation of harassment of the officers.
The officials at the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Office said two complaints were received earlier this year, while six were received after May 11, the day when the Supreme Court granted control of services matters, except police, land and public order, to the elected government in Delhi.
A Delhi government official said any reaction on the allegations can be provided only after going through the complaints, if there are any.
There was also no reaction immediately available from the officers who have alleged they were harassed.
Five IAS officers are among those who have complained against the AAP government. They are Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, former services secretary Ashish More, special secretaries Kinny Singh and YVVJ Rajasekhar, and Power Secretary Shurbir Singh.
IPS officer and head of the anti-corruption branch, Madhur Verma, IRS officer and chief assessor and collector in the house tax department of the MCD, Kunal Kashyap, and ad-hoc DANICS officer and deputy secretary in the services department, Amitabh Joshi, are also among the complainants, the officials said.
Verma and Shurbir Singh, who hail from Punjab, have alleged in their complaint that their families were being targeted in their home state.
Shurbir Singh has informed the LG Office that he has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the harassment of his family, the officials said.
The AAP is in power in Punjab and there was no reaction from it on the complaints by the officers who hail from the state.
There has been a growing discord between bureaucrats and the AAP dispensation in Delhi ever since the Supreme Court granted the city government executive power in services matters, including transfer and posting of officers.
Hours after the apex court order placed the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government, More was removed as services secretary.
Delhi Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had also alleged on Friday that Chief Secretary (CS) Kumar had issued a death threat to him on May 16.
Kumar, however, claimed in a letter to the LG that the allegations were an after-thought of Bharadwaj to save himself from his alleged misconduct with the officers of the services department.
Sharing details, an official of the LG Office said on May 16, the chief secretary was called by Bharadwaj to his chamber in the Delhi Secretariat after office hours to schedule a meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) in the night.
"Due to repeated calls from the minister, the chief secretary again reached the secretariat and met him. The CS informed the minister that the CSB met in the morning of May 16 regarding the directions of the minister for change in procedure to be followed by the CSB and that the CSB's recommendations was pending with the minister," the official said.
"This file was cleared by Bharadwaj and notings were sent through WhatsApp at 9:55 pm on May 16 and the physical file was sent around 10:23 pm on May 16 to the official residence of the CS. On May 19, Bharadwaj made false allegations that the CS has threatened to kill him," the official said.
This has been done to make a "counter-complaint as an after-thought to save himself from the misconduct done by him with officers of the services department on May 16, once he came to know about the same", the official said referring to Services Minister Bharadwaj.
In a complaint to the LG, former services secretary More on May 16 complained that Bharadwaj intimidated and detained him along with another official -- 2014-batch IAS officer Kinny Singh who is special secretary in the services department -- in his office over some files.
More alleged that the minister forced him to sign a paper and when he did not do so, Bharadwaj threatened him with dire consequences, saying that his career will be completely ruined.
In his complaint, More also claimed that another official of the services department, Joshi, was misbehaved with and that Bharadwaj also forced him to sign a paper.
More had complained against the minister to the CS and the Union home ministry through the LG.
Special secretary vigilance Rajasekhar, who was looking into the Delhi excise scam case, expenditure incurred on the renovation of the chief minister's official residence and other alleged irregularities, was divested of his charge through an order issued by Bharadwaj.
The LG Office officials said there was an attempt to intimidate Delhi's power secretary Shurbir Singh by using the Punjab Police to go after his family in the state.
He has since moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against this harassment, the officials said.
The LG Office officials also claimed that anti-corruption branch chief Verma, who also belongs to Punjab, was similarly "hounded" by the Punjab Police.
"The AAP government in Punjab was after his family -- brother and his wife -- in Ludhiana. He repeatedly brought this undue harassment to the notice of LG over months," the official said. Verma alleged that he was harassed since he took action against Delhi Waqf Board chairman and Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan in an alleged corruption case.
The LG office official further said that the MCD mayor has sent a note to the MCD commissioner against Kashyap, alleging that the officer is going slow against house tax evasion by the property of a news agency in RK Puram. The officer has taken bribes from the firm, the mayor (Shelly Oberoi) has alleged, according to the official.
The mayor, a member of the AAP, has asked the commissioner to withdraw all works from the officer.
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'Homebound' makes it to Oscar shortlist for best international feature
Mumbai (PTI): Neeraj Ghaywan's much acclaimed "Homebound" is among the 15 films shortlisted in the best international feature category at the Oscars, moving a step close to the final five nominations and maybe a win.
The movie, inspired by a true story that became the basis of a news article during the pandemic, has been creating a global buzz since its debut in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival this May.
Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese is a fan and has come onboard as an executive producer ahead of the award season.
Produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, and starring Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor, "Homebound" is Ghaywan's second movie after "Masaan".
"Homebound" will compete for an Oscar nomination alongside Argentina's “Belén”, Brazil's “The Secret Agent”, French drama "It Was Just an Accident”, Germany's "Sound of Falling” and Iraq's "The President's Cake".
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The other movies in the shortlist include Japan's “Kokuho”, Jordan's “All That’s Left of You”, Norway's “Sentimental Value”, Palestine's “Palestine 36”, South Korean hit “No Other Choice”, Spain's “Sirat”, "Late Shift" from Switzerland, “Left-Handed Girl”from Taiwan and Tunisian drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in a release on Tuesday.
The award for best foreign film, now re-categorised as best international feature, has so far eluded India.
Only three Indian films have received nominations in the category -- Mehmood Khan’s “Mother India”, Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay” and Ashutosh Gowarikar’s “Lagaan”. Deepa Mehta’s “Water”, starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray, also received a nomination but it was submitted from Canada.
Gujarati film "Chhello Show" in 2023 was the last film to get shortlisted.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya was the first Indian to get an Oscar, bagging the coveted prize in 1983 for the film "Gandhi". Other than her, A R Rahman, Resul Pukootty and M M Keeravani have also won individual Oscars.
Team "Homebound" celebrated the shortlist news with posts on social media.
"We made the shortlist... Way to go team Homebound'!" Johar shared in Instagram Stories.
In a post, the producer said it was difficult for him to articulate how "proud and elated" he was with the news.
"All of us @dharmamovies are privileged to have this proud and important film in our filmography... thank you @neeraj.ghaywan for making so many dreams of ours come true... from Cannes to being on the Oscar shortlist this has been such an overwhelming journey! Love to the entire cast and crew and teams of this special special film! Upwards and onwards...."
Ghaywan also shared the news on X.
"#Homebound has been shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards! We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary love and support we've received from around the world," he wrote on X with a special poster of the film.
Jethwa, who plays one of the two friends in the story opposite Ishaan Khatter, said the moment feels "surreal and incredibly humbling".
"To see 'Homebound' being shortlisted and progressing towards the Oscars is something I could have only dreamed of. I am deeply grateful for the love and support the film has received from audiences around the world," he said as he acknowledged Johar, Ghaywan and co-star Khatter and the rest of the team.
Khatter also shared the news on his Instagram stories and wrote, "Oscar ab dur nahi".
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"Homebound" is inspired by journalist Basharat Peer's The New York Times article “Taking Amrit Home”, also titled "A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway".
The film portrays the childhood friendship between a Muslim and Dalit who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied due to their surnames.
The Academy on Tuesday also announced shortlists in 11 other categories, including the newly added casting Oscars, animated shorts, cinematography, documentary feature, documentary short, original score and song, sound and visual effects categories.
Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
Twenty-four categories will be awarded at the 98th Oscars. Each category has five nominees, except for best picture, which has 10.
The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
