AAP govt trying to abuse legal process: ACB chief MK Meena

New Delhi: Delhi’s anti-graft bureau head MK Meena on Tuesday accused the AAP government of trying to abuse the process of law and the LG-appointed ACB chief was acting in accordance with the law. [caption id=“attachment_2407498” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi ACB chief MK Meena. IBNLive[/caption] Making the submission before the Delhi High Court, Meena’s counsel questioned Delhi government’s power to set up an inquiry commission to probe a scam without seeking the Centre’s approval. “It is total abuse of the process of law as the power lies with the Central Government. I will demonstrate,” the counsel told Justice VP Vaish. Alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal government had a grudge against Meena and wanted him out, he also claimed that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) chief was acting in accordance with law and there has been no willful disobedience. The ACB chief’s counsel also sought six weeks to respond to a show cause notice issued to Meena seeking explanation why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him on AAP government’s claim that he had violated the court’s order by removing an SHO of the anti-graft body. Though the AAP government opposed Meena’s plea for time saying it was a “delaying tactic”, the court granted time to Meena to file his response within four weeks and listed the matter for hearing on 8 October. During the hearing today, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for Delhi government, alleged that Meena was “not working in accordance with law” and not allowing anyone else to work. The city government has been claiming that it has the power to set up a probe commission for which the approval of the Lieutenant Governor was not required. The court had also issued show cause notice to inspector Brij Mohan, who was appointed as the new SHO of ACB by Meena, for allegedly not lodging FIRs on complaints received by the anti-graft body between 8 and 17 June. The Delhi government 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 approached court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Meena, who had shunted out inspector Vinay Malik, appointed by it as SHO ACB, 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 “wilfully violated” the court’s 29 June order asking the LG-appointed ACB chief to act in “accordance with the law”. The city 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.” It also alleged that Meena had “prevented the receipt of the complaint sought to be submitted by SDM and 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 has said. PTI