The controversy over Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) is refusing to die down between lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the Arvind Kejriwal Government in Delhi.
The Delhi Government's vigilance department has repatriated seven inspectors who were inducted in the ACB to the Delhi Police. Incidentally three inspectors who were sent back are those who were sought by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government. Incidentally these seven inspectors were posted to ACB the day the l-G had ordered the posting of 1989 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer as the head of the ACB
An official said the Delhi Police inspectors were posted to the ACB by the l-G after the AAP Government inducted five police officers from Bihar in the ant-graft probe agency. The inspectors who have been repatriated to Delhi Police are Braj Mohan, Kumar Kant Mishra, Vivekanand Jha, Rajkumar, Rajendra Prasad, Ricchpal Singh Meena and Puran Chand.
It may be noted that l-G had appointed Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena as the chief of the ACB which was till now headed by SS Yadav. Meena is currently serving as Joint Commissioner of New Delhi range and the l-G's order the clarified that he has been given additional charge of ACB.
It may be noted that the l-G and the AAP Government have been on a collision course on a number of issues including authority over ACB. A petition to this effect has been filed by the AAP Government in Delhi High Court.
The Delhi Government had gone to the town and protested over the posting of Meena and they issued an order to ascertain that Yadav was the head of the ACB. Director Vigilance Sukesh Jain had issued an order and had limited the role of Meena. This further strained the ties between the Raj Niwas and the Players Building.
It may be recalled that the Delhi High Court had declined the AAP Government's plea seeking directions to prosecute Meena as a party in the main petition that challenges the May 21 notification and the June 23 notification limiting ACB's jurisdiction to officials of the Delhi Government.
The clash between the lieutenant Governor and the Arvind Kerjiwal-led AAP government has resulted in the ACB now having two chiefs.
While the Delhi Government appointed Additional Commissioner Surendra Singh Yadav for the post, The l-G appointed Meena as the ACB chief. The AAP Government alleged that the move was an attempt on part of the Union Government to interfere in the functioning of the Delhi Government and to protect Delhi Police from alleged cases of corruption.
The war of attrition touched the nadir when the AAP Government refused to recognise Dharam Pal as Principal Secretary Home and posted Rajender Kumar the Secretary to Chief Minister as Secretary Home and thus creating a piquant situation where there were two secretaries of Home.