File Photo: Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who was removed as AIIMS Chief Vigilance Officer in August 2014.
On his second day at work, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken a step that could escalate into a major confrontation with the union government.
Mr Kejriwal has written to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar asking for Sanjiv Chaturvedi, a whistle-blower and bureaucrat, to be transferred to his office. Mr Chaturvedi joined the civil services as an Indian Forest Service officer, which is why Mr Javadekar's clearance is necessary. Mr Kejriwal wants to make Mr Chaturvedi the chief of the Delhi government's anti-corruption bureau.
In August 2014, Mr Chaturvedi was controversially removed as the main officer appointed to combat corruption at All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS, the premier state-run hospital in the capital. Mr Chaturvedi's dismissal as Chief Vigilance Officer came after he exposed several scams at the hospital and ordered investigations into how officials had made lengthy trips abroad on taxpayers' money. He was then appointed Deputy Director at the medical institute.
The union government had dismissed allegations that Mr Chaturvedi was removed as vendetta for his exposes. Instead, then Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that Mr Chaturvedi had wrongly been appointed the anti-graft watchdog at AIIMS without required clearances. At the time, Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had rallied in support of Mr Chaturvedi.
"Sanjiv Chaturvedi will be a great asset to the Delhi government. We welcome him with open arms," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told NDTV on Friday.