Changes in Delhi anti-graft body may trigger tussle between Centre, AAP

The ownership of the ACB, the anti-graft unit, has been a bone of contention between the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi government for long.

Changes are likely in the Delhi government’s anti-corruption branch top brass in the next few days.

Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung (L), assembly speaker Ram Nivas Goyal (C) and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal outside the Delhi Assembly on March 22, 2016 (Sonu Mehta / HT Photo)

Police sources said additional commissioner of police SS Yadav, who was appointed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to the anti-graft branch, is likely to be transferred.

The transfer of anti-corruption branch (ACB) chief Mukesh Meena, who was promoted to the rank of special commissioner is imminent, sources said. There is no sanctioned post for a special commissioner at the ACB.

Sources said that with Meena gone, the ACB would be directly under the control of SS Yadav, a 1997-batch IPS who is also due for promotion as a joint commissioner within the next few weeks.

To prevent an officer considered close to Kejriwal from heading the ACB, Yadav is likely to be replaced by Alok Kumar. Kumar is an additional commissioner rank officer presently posted at the special cell.

“Getting Alok Kumar into the ACB is going to solve the problem. The Delhi government had alleged that Mukesh Meena’s appointment by the L-G was wrong because there is no sanctioned post for him (Meena was a Joint CP when he joined). Meena managed to stay because there were other joint CP officers at the ACB in the past. Now that he has been promoted, the government is going to protest because neither the post for a special CP exists at the ACB nor has any officer of that rank served there to date,” said a senior officer.

The ownership of the anti-graft unit has been a bone of contention between the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi government for long. Within weeks of appointing Yadav, the ACB had launched an investigation into all the past cases registered at the ACB.

The ACB sleuths had arrested Delhi police personnel and registered FIRs against them. The Delhi police had termed these cases frivolous.

The Delhi government has in the past tried removing Meena from the ACB but the transfer orders issued by them was nullified by L-G Najeeb Jung.