An IAS officer shifted out of Delhi in 2022 after the Thyagraj Stadium dog-walk controversy has returned to the capital as the new MCD commissioner.
Sanjeev Khirwar, who was transferred out of Delhi in 2022 after the Thyagraj Stadium controversy, has been appointed Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. | UNI
IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar, who came under scrutiny in 2022 after a Delhi stadium was cleared for him to walk his dog, has been appointed Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The appointment was cleared by the Central government through a notification issued on Wednesday.
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“Exercising powers conferred by Section 54 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the Central Government has appointed Sanjeev Khirwar, IAS (AGMUT:1994) as Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Delhi,” the notification said.
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Khirwar belongs to the 1994 batch of the AGMUT cadre. He will replace Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch officer who was appointed MCD Commissioner in 2024.
Khirwar’s name became widely known in May 2022 after reports said athletes were asked to cut short their practice sessions at Delhi’s Thyagraj Stadium so that he could walk his dog there.
The episode triggered public criticism. Soon after, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) transferred Khirwar out of Delhi and posted him to Ladakh. His wife, IAS officer Rinku Dugga, was transferred to Arunachal Pradesh.
The MHA acted after seeking a factual report from the Delhi Chief Secretary.
“The MHA had sought a report from the Chief Secretary, Delhi, on the news report regarding the misuse of facilities at Thyagraj Stadium by Sanjeev Khirwar and his wife, Rinku Dugga. Chief Secretary, Delhi, submitted a report later in the evening on the factual position to the MHA. In the meantime, Khirwar has been transferred by MHA to Ladakh and Dugga to Arunachal Pradesh. Necessary action will be initiated based on the report,” MHA sources said at the time.
Following his transfer, Khirwar served as Secretary in the Union Territory of Ladakh from 2022 to 2026.
Before that, he held several senior positions in Delhi, including Principal Secretary (Revenue) and Divisional Commissioner. He also handled additional charge as Environment Secretary in the Delhi government.
Earlier in his career, Khirwar served as Private Secretary to then Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath between 2009 and 2014. He was later posted in the Commerce Ministry and returned to Delhi in 2018 as Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare department.
In 2023, the government compulsorily retired Rinku Dugga, also a 1994-batch AGMUT cadre officer.
Sources said she was retired under Fundamental Rules 56(j) and Rule 48 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, after a review of her service record.
A government source had confirmed the decision, saying the Centre has the authority to retire an officer if it believes it is “in the public interest”.
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