Ex-Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta dies by suicide in Noida flat

Former Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, who served during the tenure of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, allegedly died by suicide at his residence in Noida, officials said on Tuesday.

The 74-year-old retired IAS officer, a 1975-batch officer, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented flat in Sector 82 on 6 September, police said.

Noida Police recovered a purported one-page suicide note from the residence in which Mehta cited his “mental and health issues” but did not hold anyone responsible for his death. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

According to officials, Mehta had been living alone at Kendriya Vihar-2 society in Sector 82 for around five years. His wife, also a retired IAS officer of the Delhi cadre, and their son live in Dehradun, while their married daughter is based in London. His wife and son visited him in Noida occasionally.

Police said Mehta’s wife spoke to him over the phone on Saturday night. When family members could not reach him despite repeated calls on Sunday afternoon, they alerted the society’s security guards. Two guards went to his flat and found him hanging from the ceiling fan.

Police and a relative living nearby reached the residence soon after. A forensic team examined the scene and collected evidence, while the body was sent for postmortem examination. The family has not filed a complaint, police said.

Family members told officials that Mehta had been suffering from hypertension, diabetes and other health problems. He had also been experiencing trembling in his right hand and leg, according to police.

Mehta served as Delhi’s chief secretary for more than three years, taking charge in 2007 and retiring in November 2010. The 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in the capital during his tenure.

A senior bureaucrat who held several positions in the Delhi government, Mehta also served as commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Former colleagues credited him with overseeing the execution of several major transport, power and civic infrastructure projects in the city.

Mehta studied at St Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University before pursuing economics and related disciplines at the London School of Economics.

He was cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium on Monday.

With PTI inputs