JOIN USFraud by former chief of DCW, claims Maliwal
Alleging corruption and financial bunglings by former chairpersons of the Delhi Commission for Women “on the directions of the then chief minister Sheila Dikshit”, the current DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal has given a complaint to Anti-Corruption Branch to probe into the fraud that run into crores, which took place during 2007 to 2015.
The allegation by Maliwal comes two days after the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had registered an FIR against her over irregularities in the recruitment process of the commission on the complaint of former chairperson of DCW Barkha Shukla Singh. The ACB had also included the name of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the FIR.
In her complaint to ACB, Maliwal said: “The commission while perusing the files has discovered instances of gross financial irregularities and misappropriation of government funds by previous chairpersons of the commission Barkha Shukla Singh and Kiran Walia, with some instances, prima facie being carried out under the directions of the then chief minister Sheila Diskshit from 2007 to 2015.”
She alleged that every year majority of the commission’s budget was spent only on organising functions and giving out the work for their publicity and advertisements to firms without any tender on the recommendation of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
Maliwal alleged that one such fraud of over Rs 50 lakh took place in the name of a silent march that was taken out on January 2, 2013 in protest of the December 16 gang-rape.
“A two-hour march was conducted by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to protest against the heinous gang-rape and even in this solemn circumstances, former chairperson Barkha Shukla Singh and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit found scope for financial fraud,” said the complaint.
Maliwal said that no work order or tender was issued and the task of printing and advertisement for the march was awarded to two firms on the “recommendation of the former chief minister Sheila Dikshit”.
Financial irregularities
Maliwal said that there have been financial irregularities in celebrating Women's Day over the years. “The fact that the sitting MLA (Barkha Singh) was appointed as a chairperson of the commission, provided them an ample opportunities to exploit finances of the Delhi Commission for Women for their political objectives.”
“While holding the post of chairperson, her conduct amounts to misusing public office with an aim to benefit certain individuals,” she said.
Even the AAP government has decided to call a special session of the Delhi Assembly to “expose the conspiracy hatched by the Prime Minister's Office to include Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's name in the FIR” over the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process in the DCW.