Delhi government’s much vaunted Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has almost become non functional after the fall of the Aam Aadmi Party government. A total of 24 FIRs were registered by ACB from 28 December 2013 to 4 March 2014. However, all of them have been put on the back burner.
‘All these cases are pending investigation,’ said a public information official from the ACB, in reply to a RTI query. The bureau however refused to share any updates in investigation and copies of the FIRs, citing the Official Secrets Act.
According to sources in the department, the bureau has not even interrogated officers from the public works department (PWD), who were directly responsible for the construction of a flyover and conducting purchase orders during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Among the major FIRs during Kejriwal’s tenure, the ACB had registered two FIRs into the CWG scam, four in Delhi Jal Board scam and one FIR was related to the natural gas scam, in which industrialist Mukesh Ambani and union cabinet minister M Veerappa Moily were also named. In relation to the FIR on natural gas, the solicitor general of India has opined that it violated the federal principles of constitution. The five-page FIR with which annexures were attached was lodged by the ACB of Delhi government on a complaint sent to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal by former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, former secretary EAS Sarma, former Navy Chief Admiral RH Tahiliani and advocate Kamini Jaiswal.
Besides Moily and RIL chairman Ambani, former petroleum minister Murli Deora, ex-director general of hydrocarbons VK Sibal and other unknown people were named as accused in the case.
The FIR was lodged under sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.‘Hardly any accused has been formally summoned or questioned by the ACB in over one month since the fall of the AAP government,’ said a senior officer in the ACB. The bureau, which was constituted in 1977, came into limelight only after Kejriwal tried to develop it as an instrument to come down heavily against corruption. The bureau was also used as tool to create fear in the minds of corrupt government officials. The situation of much hyped anti-corruption call center is in a sorry state.
The department has a sanctioned strength of 121 police personnel on deputation from Delhi police. However, at present, only 100 are posted. Interestingly all the nine posts of assistant police commissioner (ACPs) are lying vacant. Among the vacant posts, 11 inspectors, 17 sub-inspectors, five assistant sub-inspectors and two office assistants. ACB does not have any sanctioned post for head constables but 11 head constables are posted here, while all 30 posts for constables and 13 posts for drivers have been filled.