HC dismisses Delhi government's contempt plea against ACB chief

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed an AAP government plea for contempt of court proceedings against the city's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief Mukesh Kumar Meena for not acting as per the law, as ordered by court.

"... it is not necessary for this court to go into the correctness of the allegations in the contempt case and to return a finding as to whether the conduct of the respondents (ACB chief Meena and an SHO) would amount to willful disobedience of the order of this court. Accordingly, the contempt case is dismissed," a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said.

The government plea had accused Meena of hindering ACB functioning and violating the High Court's June 29, 2015, order that asked the ACB chief, a Lt. Governor's appointee, to act in "accordance with the law".

The contempt plea also alleged that Meena arbitrarily replaced the then Station House Officer of the ACB by another person and did not lodge an FIR against two Delhi Development Authority officials allegedly caught accepting bribe.

The Centre told the court that Meena acted in accordance with the law by not lodging an FIR as the DDA officials were central government employees and the ACB did not have powers to take action against them. Hence, Meena had not disobeyed any law, the Centre submitted.

Dismissing the plea for initiating contempt of court proceedings, the bench referred to its judgment of August 4, 2016, holding the Lt. Governor as the administrative head of Delhi and upholding the Centre's notification stopping the Delhi ACB from acting against central government employees.

--IANS

gt/tsb/vt