New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- The Delhi government has asked senior bureaucrats to prioritise meetings convened by chief minister Rekha Gupta and ensure that decisions and directions emerging from meetings with the central government and the lieutenant governor (L-G) are communicated to the chief minister's office (CMO). In a communication dated October 7, the General Administration Department (GAD) said it observed that some senior officers were unable to attend meetings chaired by the chief minister. It also noted that decisions and directions arising from meetings convened by the Government of India or the L-G were not being communicated to the CMO. "This department had already issued instructions in this regard vide its letter of even number dated 28.04.2026. However, the said instructions are not being adhered to. This has been viewed seriously by the Hon'ble chief minister," said the two-page document, seen by HT. HT's queries to the CMO and L-G's office did not elicit a response until the time of going to print. The development is reminiscent of the repeated disputes during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration's tenure over the bureaucracy, the L-G's powers and the elected government's authority over administrative services. Between 2015 and 2025, then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed his dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy and separation of powers with the L-G - who reports to the Union home ministry - but to no avail. As a Union territory with an elected assembly, Delhi occupies a unique place. In 2023, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the Delhi government holds legislative and executive control over administrative services (transfers, postings, and vigilance), excluding public order, police, and land. But weeks later, the central government passed an ordinance - later ratified by Parliament - expanding the L-G's discretionary capacities and granting him overriding powers in deciding transfers and postings of bureaucrats. Effectively, the control of bureaucrats serving in the Delhi government rests with Raj Niwas, not the CM. But the current developments assume importance because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controls both offices. The document by the GAD department reiterated instructions issued earlier on April 28, directing all departments, organisations and heads of autonomous bodies, boards, corporations and public sector undertakings under the Delhi government to ensure compliance. "In case of a clash with a later-scheduled meeting, the organisers concerned shall be requested to reschedule it, with advance intimation to the CMO. Where a clash with an earlier-scheduled meeting cannot be resolved, the matter shall be brought to the notice of the CMO in advance for appropriate directions," the document said. In the April 28 communication, the GAD also directed departments to forward copies of important references, communications and correspondence received from the Government of India concerning new programmes, schemes or matters having a bearing on subjects allocated under the Transaction of Business Rules, 1993, to the offices of the chief minister and the chief secretary. The instructions were circulated to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries and heads of departments, as well as heads of autonomous bodies, boards, corporations and public sector undertakings under the Delhi government. "This is unheard of, especially at a time when there is a four-engine government in place. Such matters happened during the tenure of the AAP government but if it is happening at a time when the BJP is in power at the Centre and the state level, it cannot be explained," said a former Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories cadre officer, requesting anonymity. Friction between the political executive and the bureaucracy in Delhi is not new. The confrontation began soon after the AAP came to power in 2015. In May that year, the Union government issued a notification asserting the L-G's authority over services, including the appointment and transfer of officers, and excluding these matters from the Delhi government's jurisdiction. The dispute intensified over the appointment of senior officials and the functioning of government departments. Among the early flashpoints were the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary, which Kejriwal opposed, and the appointment of an officer to head the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), which then L-G Najeeb Jung contested. In August 2016, the Delhi high court ruled that the L-G was the administrative head of the national capital. The Supreme Court, in its July 2018 judgment, subsequently clarified that the L-G could not act independently of the elected government on matters outside the three reserved subjects of public order, police and land, and was generally bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers. In February 2018, then chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was assaulted by AAP lawmakers during a late-night meeting at Kejriwal's residence. The AAP disputed the allegations and accused the bureaucracy of obstructing the elected government's work....