Delhi HC issues show cause notice to ACB chief MK Meena on AAP govt's contempt plea

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued show cause notice to ACB chief MK Meena and asked him to explain why contempt proceedings be not initiated against him on AAP government’s plea alleging that he violated the court’s order by removing an SHO of the anti-graft body. [caption id=“attachment_2369558” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi HC issued a show cause notice to MK Meena. IBNLive[/caption] Justice VP Vaish also issued show cause notice to inspector Brij Mohan, who was appointed as the new SHO of ACB by Meena, for allegedly not lodging FIR on complaints received by the ACB between 8 and 17 June. The court sought response from Meena and Mohan on the next date of hearing on 25 August. Meanwhile, it asked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Chief to be present in court on 4 August to explain the allegation of Delhi government that SDM was not being permitted to deposit seized case property with ACB. The court also issued notice to the Centre on this plea of the Delhi government which has also sought directions to ACB “to receive the complaint from the SDM, register an FIR and carry out investigation in accordance with law.” The AAP government had on Tuesday moved the High Court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Meena, who had shunted out inspector Vinay Malik as SHO ACB, appointed by city government, and posted inspector Brij Mohan in his place. Delhi government, in its contempt plea, has said it was constrained to file the contempt petition as Meena had “willfully violated” the court’s 29 June, 2015, order, which had asked Lt Governor-appointee ACB chief to act in “accordance with the law”. The Aam Aadmi Party government has also sought contempt proceedings against Brij Mohan, saying he was acting under “direct instruction and orders of Meena”. The petition claimed that Meena had purportedly scrapped the anti-corruption helpline number established with approval of Council of Ministers of the Delhi government and “posted personnel in the ACB despite not having authority to do so.” The plea further alleged that Meena had “prevented the receipt of the complaint sought to be submitted by SDM and the registration of an FIR thereupon, by orchestrating the removal of the FIR book and the ‘Roznamcha’ from the precincts of the ACB which is a police station under…CrPC and is wholly illegal Act”. “Therefore, Meena is guilty of acting in brazen disregard and violation of the direction passed by this court. It is submitted that both the respondents have acted in willful and deliberate defiance and disregard of the judgement of the Supreme Court…and the order passed by this court on June 29, 2015, whereby Meena was required to function in accordance with law,” the petition said. The interim order was passed on the Delhi government’s plea for quashing the 21 May order of the Centre barring the anti-corruption branch from proceeding against any staff under Centre’s control. PTI