Removal of Kejriwal's private secretary will pave way for probe into excise policy scam: BJP
New Delhi, Apr 11: BJP leaders on Thursday said the removal of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's private secretary from his post by the Vigilance Directorate was an administrative decision that will pave the way for a probe into the alleged excise policy scam.
It was necessary to remove Kumar from the post as his appointment was "illegal" and he was under the scanner of agencies in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy of the city government, Delhi BJP vice-president Kapil Mishra said, adding that his removal will now pave the way for an impartial investigation in the matter.
In an order on Wednesday, the Delhi government's Vigilance Directorate terminated the service of Kejriwal's private secretary Bibhav Kumar over alleged violations of rules and procedures in his appointment.
No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi over Kumar's termination of services.
The anti-corruption stand and high moral ground claimed by the AAP and its leaders like Kejriwal have fallen flat with Kumar's removal, Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana said.
He said it was an administrative decision to remove Kumar since his appointment was not in accordance with the rules. The decision itself is a setback for the AAP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader claimed.
In its order to remove Kumar from his post, the Vigilance Directorate said "the competent authority has terminated the engagement of Bibhav Kumar, private secretary to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in terms of the provisions of Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1965, with immediate effect".
Kumar was issued a show-cause notice in November last year by the directorate, which had observed that his engagement on the post of private secretary to the Delhi chief minister was "illegal", citing a criminal case pending against him in Noida.
In its order, the directorate said the charges against Kumar are "grave in nature, including the charge of assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, for which the trial against Kumar is at the stage of evidence and therefore, Kumar is not clear from the vigilance angle".
Further, it said rules for the engagement of Kumar "were not scrupulously followed, therefore, such engagement is illegal and void ab initio".
The Enforcement Directorate questioned Kumar on Monday, along with AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, in connection with the money-laundering case linked to the excise policy.
Kejriwal is in judicial custody till April 15 in connection with the case.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
