Former DCW chief takes on Maliwal, says "not afraid of ACB probe"

Former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Barkha Shukla Singh on Friday defended herself in the case filed against her and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by her successor Swati Maliwal, saying the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) is probing the matter and whoever is found guilty will be punished.

"She (Swati Maliwal) is remembering these things when I have already filed a complaint against her in the ACB. If there was anything like this then she should have filed the case against me earlier. It doesn't matter; we are not sacred of these things. The case has been registered in the ACB and it will probe the matter and whoever is found guilty will be punished," Singh told ANI.

Singh alleged that a 'fraud' Maliwal was acting as per the instruction of Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

Maliwal had earlier approached the ACB with a complaint against two former DCW chairpersons and the former Delhi Chief Minister accusing them of gross financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds.

The ACB officials have said that they would first go through the contents of the complaint and then launch a preliminary investigation.

Earlier this week, an FIR was filed against Maliwal over alleged irregularities in appointment of staff in the women's panel.

This development came after she was grilled by the ACB over the matter.

Speaking to the media after being questioned, Maliwal said that they have asked her 27 questions and have given her a week to respond, adding the questions pertain to how the DCW managed to make so many appointments.

"In the past one year, we have handled 11,500 cases and attended 2.25 lakh calls. In the past eight years, the former chairperson managed only one case. What is troubling everyone is how we managed to do so much work? We will cooperate in the investigation," Maliwal said.

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

Around 90 percent of contractual staff of the DCW is the members of ruling AAP.