Admiral (retd) Ramdas said asked AAP to confirm when - in its version of events - his term as Lokpal ended

Admiral (retd) Ramdas has now turned the tables on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), after it replaced him with a new Lokpal panel.

Ramdas has questioned how he was allowed to work as the party’s internal ombudsman if his term had already ended, as claimed by the party, and raised the issue of legality of decisions taken by him.

AAP’s outgoing Internal Lokpal also questioned the party’s decision to replace him with a new Lokpal panel, saying his term was to otherwise end in November 2016.

“Had there been any indication...that my term had expired, I might not have carried out all those tasks - which could now even be termed illegal or invalid,” Ramdas said in an email to party national secretary Pankaj Gupta.

Ramdas has also put forward a pertinent question to the party in his letter and asked: “According to the AAP, when did my term as Lokpal end?”

He questioned the legality of many of the complaints that he has investigated as the Lokpal and said: “My term as Lokpal continued as per the party’s Constitution, and therefore continues to be valid for three years from November 2013 when my first year finished. Had there been any indication from the party that this was not so, and that my term had expired, I might not have carried out all those tasks - which could now even be termed illegal or invalid.”

Pointing out that AAP had consulted him and forwarded queries as late as March 25 - just four days before his sacking - Ramdas said he submitted his reports on complaints against 12 Vidhan Sabha candidates in time for them to file their nomination papers by January 21, 2015.

Mentioning that while carrying out the investigations, he had personally examined Manish Sisodia, Ashish Khaitan, Anand Kumar, Gopal Rai as well as complainants Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal - all members of the National Executive - Ramdas said: “I am therefore stunned, bemused and befuddled.”

Ramdas and Ilina Sen were sacked as party’s Lokpal on Sunday and replaced by a three-member panel headed by N. Dilip Kumar, a retired IPS officer.

Ramdas said the party did not even consult him to appoint his successor as mentioned in the party constitution.