Not questioning Kejriwal in DCW case: ACB chief

NEW DELHI: Probing the alleged recruitment irregularities at the Delhi Commission for Woman, the Anti-Corruption Branch issued notices to DCW chief Swati Maliwal

NEW DELHI: Probing the alleged recruitment irregularities at the Delhi Commission for Woman, the Anti-Corruption Branch issued notices to DCW chief Swati Maliwal and deputy director (finance) of the Delhi government.

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ACB chief Mukesh Meena while clarifying that they are not probing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal so far, said that the investigating officer will question the deputy director to probe how the DCW as a body was given financial autonomy.

Meena said Maliwal will be questioned at her office on September 29 and the bureaucrats on September 27.

The anti-graft body had lodged an FIR based on the complaint of former Congress MLA Barkha Singh, who alleged that Maliwal had hired 85 persons, mostly AAP volunteers, without following the standard procedure.

Singh while demanding a probe against Maliwal and Kejriwal had alleged that the DCW’s budget was increased from Rs 3.5 crore to Rs 7 crore to pay the salaries and other expenses of the fresh recruits.

THE FIR AND ITS CONTENTS

On Wednesday, Kejriwal called a press conference and said that he has been made an accused in the FIR on the alleged DCW irregularities. Though the FIR has Kejriwal’s name under the ‘accused’ sub head, Meena clarified that he is not being investigated. Meena also said that an enquiry report filed by the investigating officer doesn’t name Kejriwal.

The FIR (number 15/16) reads that it was registered on Monday at 6.35pm, a few hours after they handed Maliwal a questionnaire at the ACB office. In the FIR, under the subtitle ‘details of known suspect/accused with full particulars’ the names of ‘Ms Swati Maliwal and Mr Arvind Kejriwal’ are handwritten.

On the next page, the officer has inserted the complaint filed by Singh. It read, “Dear Sir, it is to bring to your notice that the current government of Delhi led by Mr Arvind Kejriwal has adopted many illegal practices to benefit his associates…”