ACB chief's office 'not bugged', says Delhi Police

Reports that the office of the new Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief MK Meena had been bugged were rejected on Sunday by Delhi Police, which said no surveillance devices were present in the facility.

Reports that the office of the new Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief MK Meena had been bugged were rejected on Sunday by Delhi Police, which said no surveillance devices were present in the facility.

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Rajan Bhagat, the spokesperson for Delhi Police, said, “There was no bug in the office.”

Bhagat said an old and worn out electronic device had been found in the office but it was defective and had no video or audio recording facilities.

Meena was recently appointed by lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, who is locked in a tug of war with Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government over the appointment and transfer of officials.

Sources in the ACB said when Meena was suddenly transferred to the bureau last week, a makeshift office was given to him.

An official said carpenters must have failed to properly clean the room and missed the defective electronic device, which appeared to be the worn out parts of a watch.

No case or inquiry has been launched in connection with the incident.

The Delhi government and the Centre have been at loggerheads over the jurisdiction of the city’s ACB.

In a sudden decision last week, Jung appointed joint commissioner of Police Meena to take charge of the ACB, superseding then chief additional commissioner SS Yadav, who was handpicked by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Delhi government has refused to acknowledge Meena's authority and asked him to revert to Delhi Police as there is no post for an officer of the rank of joint commissioner in the ACB.