Curtailment of the powers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has direct fallout as lieutenant Governor of Delhi cannot order any probe on the men and officers of departments that are not directly under the control of the Government of National Capital Territory (GNCT) of Delhi. The new notification issued by the Union Territory section of the MHA has made it clear that ACB can investigate the officers and employees of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi only. This was submitted by the senior advocate Vikas Singh in the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.
This will effectively put employees of three Municipal Corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) and Delhi Tourism Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) out of the purview of the ACB. In other words, the anti-graft wing of Delhi Government cannot launch a probe against employees of these agencies.
The amendment has drastically downsized its powers as important departments of the Delhi have been put under the purview of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“Confusion prevails over the notification that employees of MCDs, DDA, and Jal Board shall report to lieutenant Governor but ACB can not probe the officials on allegations of corruption. The notification has curtailed the powers of lieutenant Governor in such matters. This means that ACB cannot take action on the recommendations of lG but can report to him,” said sources. The State Government is all set to oppose the move and is going to write to the MHA in this regard.
Sources said that with the exclusion of DDA, three MCDs, Jal Board, DSIIDC, DTTDC employees and officials, over 60 per cent employees have been kept out from the purview of the ACB. It would be pertinent to mention that most of the corruption cases come from three Municipal Corporations, DDA, and DJB and the Delhi Government has been reduced to a non-entity in this regard after the MHA notification, they added.