lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has ordered the removal of former Director General (Prisons) Vimla Mehra’s statue from Jail No. 1. Orders to this effect were issued by lieutenant Governor’s office on Thursday. DG, Prisons, Alok Verma has been asked to get the statue removed. Currently serving as Special Commissioner of Police, Administration in Delhi, Vimla Mehra, the then DG of Delhi Prisons, had allegedly misused her position and sanctioned the installation of her own statue. The lifesize statue was installed near the Bharat Mata statue in Jail No. 1 and it reportedly cost Rs30 lakh to the prison authorities. Home Department of Delhi Government took exception to the ‘statue episode’ and sought explanation from the former DG. She was removed by Delhi Government on July 17 on orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Sources told The Pioneer that the Home Department of Delhi Government has issued three notices to Mehra asking her to explain the rationale behind the installation of her own statue and the misuse of Prisoners’ Welfare Fund for this purpose. She has not replied to any of the showcause notices but the Home Department cannot do much as they are not empowered to initiate disciplinary proceedings against 1978 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vimla Mehra. Only the lieutenant Governor is empowered to take action against All India Services officers who are in the Union Territories (UT) cadre.
Vimla Mehra was removed from the post of DG Prisons by the lieutenant Governor on July 17 last on the orders of the MHA after an internal inquiry found gross misconduct. Trigger was the denial of protocol to the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who had come to meet former Haryana Chief Minister OP Chautala who is lodged in Tihar Jail after being convicted in the teachers recruitment scam. The matter was reportedly brought before the Union Home Minister who ordered the removal of DG from her post.
Sources said that the former DG’s statue was installed next to Bharat Mata statue and proper lighting arrangement was made to make it shine during the night. The funds meant for the prisoners’ welfare were siphoned off for bearing the cost of the DG’s statue in gross violation of the laid down norms. The funds under this head cannot be spent without the consent of an empowered committee but the then DG displayed scant disregard for strictures. The misappropriation of the Prisoners’ Welfare Fund was construed as ‘gross violation’ as the rulebook is very clear about the usage of funds under this head.