Lt Governor asks Arvind Kejriwal govt reasons for DCW chief's removal

NEW DELHI: Lt Governor Najeeb Jung today returned to Delhi Government the file on removal of DCW chairperson Barkha Singh seeking reasons for the proposed action even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal justified its stand saying these bodies should not be headed by politicians.

The development came just hours after the DCW chief met Jung and complained that the Delhi government wanted to remove her for summoning Law Minister Somnath Bharti in the south Delhi raid episode.

"The Lt Governor has returned the file to us seeking certain clarifications on why the government wants to reconstitute the DCW," a top official said.

After meeting Jung, Singh, a former Congress MLA, said she was holding a constitutional post and the Delhi government does not have power to remove her. However, senior officials said as per the DCW Act, 1994, the government has the power to take such action.

"I have handed over a rule book of DCW to the Lt Governor so that he gets to know that the government cannot remove the DCW chairperson. They (Kejriwal, his Ministers) have become dictators. They are acting according to their whims and fancies," Singh said.

Delhi Government yesterday recommended to the Lt Governor to reconstitute the Commission and proposed Hindi novelist Maitreyi Pushpa's name to head the panel.

"We want experts and non-political persons to head various commissions and boards. Politicians should not head DCW and other commissions and boards. Maitreyi Pushpa is joining on a salary of Re 1," Kejriwal said when asked about the issue

The Chief Minister also rejected Singh's claim that she was being removed for summoning the Law Minister.

"This (Somnath Bharti) is not the reason for seeking removal of Barkha Singh. Bharti's trial was not going at DCW. The Lt Governor has appointed a judicial probe into the case," he said.

The government's move to seek Singh's removal came five days after she had a public spat with Bharti's lawyers when she refused to allow them to depose before the DCW on the Law Minister's behalf in the case related to midnight raid against Africam women. The Minister had alleged that the women were involved in drug and prostitution racket.