Delhi HC to hear DCW illegal appointments issue today

The Delhi High Court will today hear the issue relating to illegal appointments in the Delhi Commission Women (DCW).

In the previous hearing, the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi was asked whether the rape crisis and other related units, run on court orders by the DCW, should be shut down over alleged illegal appointment of staff by the women's panel.

The LG's office was also asked to make its stand clear on whether all appointments made by the DCW were illegal and if they intended to make fresh appointments.

The clarifications were sought after LG's office, in an affidavit, claimed that DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal had no power to 'arbitrarily, unilaterally, unauthorisedly engage or appoint employees in the DCW'.

Earlier on January 24, Maliwal was summoned as an accused in a case of alleged irregularities in the recruitment process of the women's panel, with a lower court directing Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to further probe and identify her associates in the crime.

The ACB had filed a chargesheet against Maliwal for commission of offence under Section 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act.

The action was taken against Maliwal in the wake of a complaint filed by Maliwal's predecessor Barkha Singh Shukla.

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

Around 90 percent of contractual staff of the Delhi Commission for Women, led by Maliwal, are members of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).