In a move that has the potential to further complicate relations between lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Jung appointed Mukesh Kumar Meena, a 1989-batch IPS officer as the chief of the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Monday, which was till now headed by Additional Commi-ssioner of Police SS Yadav.
Meena, who is currently holding the charge of Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi range, is senior to the 1997-batch IPS officer SS Yadav, who was handpicked by the AAP Government for the job.
Along with Meena, seven Inspectors of Delhi Police will also join the ACB, refuting all claims of the Kejriwal Government that Delhi Police was not providing officers which led him to appoint officers from Bihar and other States. The lieutenant-Governor (l-G)’s move to appoint Meena as ACB chief will ensure complete control of Raj Niwas on all issues concerning the ACB.
Interestingly, immediately after Meena was appointed as ACB chief, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted that there was a conspiracy behind the move. He also tweeted that he was unable to understand why this appointment was made and Mukesh Kumar Meena was asked to join on Monday itself.
“Was the appointment of new ACB chief done out of fear over opening of CNG fitness scam files,” he tweeted. He also alleged that Meena had twisted the suicide of a Rajasthan-based farmer Gajendra Singh at an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally, into a murder and was trying to implicate AAP leaders in that case.
Significantly, the ACB has been entrusted with the task of reinvestigating the 2012 CNG fitness scam which Najeeb Jung ordered closed after Justice (retired) Mukul Mudgal's findings.
The Arvind Kejriwal Government is trying to corner Jung on this issue despite the fact that the ACB will have to take permission from Raj Niwas for reinvestigating the case.
The AAP also condemned the l-G's move to appoint Meena as new ACB chief. Senior party leader Ashutosh questioned the move on Twitter, saying: “When l-G himself is in the dock in the CNG case he has appointed joint chief of ACB. This is brazen attempt to save himself from investigation.”
Claiming that the move was a contempt of court he tweeted “l-G's appointment is fit case of contempt of court. Delhi HC categorically said ACB is under Delhi Govt/not under l-G. l-G can't appoint anyone (sic).”
Before the Kejriwal Government-picked SS Yadav could start working on the case, Jung appointed Meena, who is senior to Yadav, as ACB chief. Thus technically, Yadav will have to report to Meena on all issues in which he wants to proceed further.
Therefore, booking of any important case, exploration and investigation in cases related to senior bureaucrats, preparing of chargesheet will also require approval/sanction from Meena.
In case, Meena turns down any proposal to register a case or puts any remark on the files, his junior officers would be obliged to follow that order and only his order would be valid for all further proceedings, judicial or otherwise.
Significantly, Meena who was heading the investigation against AAP leaders in the suicide of farmer Gajendra Singh, refused to share details of the investigation with District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar. Kumar had been asked by the Delhi Government to carry out a magisterial enquiry into Singh's suicide.
Interestingly last year, during the AAP Government's 49-day-rule when Kejriwal and his Cabinet Ministers slept on the street near Rail Bhavan seeking suspension of five policemen, Meena managed to corner Kejriwal and his supporters and cordoned off the area so that not a single protestor could enter or leave the venue. The Chief Minister along with his six Cabinet colleagues and scores of supporters finally had to succumb to pressure when they found that Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi and Jung did not give any heed to their demands. Kejriwal had to call off the dharna though not a single officer of Delhi Police was suspended.