Anti-graft body ‘raids’ women’s panel office

NEW DELHI: Anti-corruption branch officials Thursday searched the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) office in connection with complaints against its chief Swati Maliwal.

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The complaints were filed by the former chief of the commission and a former Delhi chief secretary.

Former DCW chief Barkha Shukla Singh, a Congress leader, had accused Maliwal of appointing 85 Aam Aadmi Party volunteers and supporters without following procedure.

In another complaint, former chief secretary Omesh Sehgal had said Maliwal misused her office to issue a show-cause notice to a club of which he is a member.

The DCW refuted the charges, saying it needed the staff for smooth functioning of the commission. Attacking Singh, Maliwal said DCW was being targeted for working.

“She worked in DCW for nine years but just took up only one case but why no questions have been raised to her? Why did she complete only one case? Isn’t it corruption?” Maliwal said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Modi ji did not leave even DCW, which is doing such good work. What Modi ji did is wrong.”

ACB officers said though no FIR had been registered, an inspector was conducting preliminary inquiry into the allegations against Maliwal. “We went there to collect some documents regarding the appointment of some officers. We took some files and questioned a few employees,” said an officer.

During the search, the staff of the panel tied rakhis to the ACB officials who had come for the search.

Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta demanded that Maliwal should be dismissed for making the 85 appointments and requested the L-G to set up a judicial commission for timebound investigation.