Centre clears Sahai as Delhi’s home secretary

New Delhi: In an apparent move to end the bitter row between Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the Delhi home secretary, the centre has cleared the name of senior IAS officer S.N. Sahai for the post.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA)and the Delhi government agreed to appoint Sahai as the new home secretary, a home ministry official told IANS.

The AAP government suggested three names, including that of urban development secretary Chetan B. Sanghi to the Lieutenant Governor, but kept Sahai as the first preference.

Sahai's appointment is seen as a compromise between the Arvind Kejriwal government and the governor to end the bitter fight on the appointment of the home secretary.

Senior IAS official Dharam Pal, who was removed as home secretary last month by the AAP government, has been discharging his duties while AAP appointee Rajendra Kumar too has been signing files.

Sahai, known to be close to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is the finance secretary of Delhi and played a crucial role in preparing the budget for the Delhi government.

(IANS)