DCW scam: How can mere clarification note make one a criminal, asks Sisodia

After the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Friday questioned him in connection with its probe into an alleged recruitment scam in the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia sought to know how can mere writing a note to clarify existing law make him a criminal and lead to three-hour grilling.

"The ACB's inquest was based on my note, in which I have said as per the Delhi Commission for Women Act 1994 and its provisions the member secretary of the commission hold the administrative and financial power," he said in a tweet.

"The note was issued to bring clarification on the existing law, but a three-hour-questioning was carried out on it. How come I became an offender by writing a note just for the clarification, they don't have answer to this question," Sisodia tweeted.

"The result of the three-hour-long questioning by the ACB is: stop the swiftness with which the Delhi Government is working for the people, he posted on his Twitter handle. In the past one and a half years, the works that the Delhi Government carried out and the swiftness with which those works were carried out had not happened in the past 20 years," he added.

Earlier, Soisodia said that some people were conspiring against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as they are extremely upset with the working of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government.

"We are working for the people of Delhi, but some people are not able to accept it. That is why they have left the ACB, the CBI everyone behind us. It is all right, we will answer them," Sisodia told the media here prior to appearing before the ACB.

Sisodia had reportedly written a letter demanding an autonomous status for the women's panel, but an issue cropped up since only the Chief Minister has the authority to write that letter to the Lieutenant Governor.

"Sisodia will also be grilled and we will ask him on whose authority did he send the letter," ACB chief M.K. Meena had said.

Stating it was found prima facie after an inquiry that there were confirmed irregularities in the appointments in DCW, Meena asserted that the panel does not have the authority to make such decisions, adding the AAP Government was not even implementing a transparent manner like advertising about the job vacancies.

"The complaint stated that these people have done the recruitment against the procedures and they do not have the authority to hire people in that manner. Besides that, they are giving out salaries on an arbitrary basis and on their own call. There are also some people, who got jobs because they were close to those within the panel," he said.

Emphasizing that this was complete misuse of authority and funds, the ACB chief said that a case has been filed against DCW Chief Swati Maliwal under the Prevention of Corruption Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The DCW is under the ACB scanner for arbitrarily appointing 85 people in the last one year.