Delhi govt tells officials to sincerely respond to Assembly Committees' queries

New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) In a move to streamline legislative oversight, the Delhi government on Tuesday issued a formal directive mandating bureaucrats to prioritise the proceedings of the newly constituted House Committees of the Eighth Legislative Assembly, an official of the Assembly Secretariat said.

A circular, issued by the General Administration Department of the Delhi government, requires all Administrative Secretaries to personally attend House Committee sittings and ensure the "full cooperation" of their departments through the timely submission of all requested documents and reports, said the official in a statement.

To prevent delays in issues related to governance and legislative oversight, the circular stipulates that any absence must be replaced by a well-informed senior deputy only with prior approval, signalling a push for heightened accountability and seamless coordination between the executive branch and the Delhi Legislature, it said.

The circular signed by Joint Secretary, GAD, Pradeep Tayal said that “Committees may, from time to time, require the presence of senior officers of various departments of GNCT of Delhi for deliberations, presentations or furnishing of information relating to matters under consideration before it.”

“Accordingly, all Administrative Secretaries are requested to attend the sittings of the House Committees whenever called upon by the Assembly Secretariat. In case the Administrative Secretary is unable to attend due to any unavoidable circumstances, a suitable senior officer, fully conversant with the subject matter, should be deputed with prior approval to ensure smooth conduct of proceedings and timely submission of required information/records,” said the circular.

All Administrative Secretaries are further requested to extend full cooperation to the Assembly Secretariat by ensuring the timely submission of documents, information, reports or any other materials as requisitioned by the House Committees, said Tayal.

Recently, in connection with the Atishi video row, the Committee of Privileges of the Delhi Legislative Assembly had directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Punjab, to submit written comments in the matter, latest by February 12 2026.

In addition to this, written replies were sought from the Director General of Police, Punjab, and the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, in connection with the conduct of the Punjab Police authorities and the handling of communications and information sought by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat.

The action follows a complaint dated February 2, received from Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra, along with a note dated February 4, placed before the Committee.

Upon review of the actions of the Punjab Police authorities, including their replies and the non-furnishing of documents sought by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat, the matter had been referred to the Committee of Privileges for examination and report, said an official of the Delhi Assembly Secretariat.