New Delhi: Intensifying its battle against the Lt Governor and the Centre, Delhi Government on Saturday urged the High Court here to issue directions to restrain LG- appointee ACB chief MK Meena from entering his office and "interfering" with the functioning of the anti-graft body.
The Aam Aadmi Party government filed a fresh application in the ongoing litigation challenging the Centre's notification giving Lt Governor Najeeb Jung absolute powers to appoint bureaucrats in the capital, after AAP government- nominated Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief S S Yadav accused Meena of threatening and pressuring him.
The face-off between the LG and Arvind Kejriwal's government has resulted in the ACB now having two chiefs.
In its application filed through standing Counsel Raman Duggal, the city government alleged that "M K Meena has been misusing his powers to browbeat and threaten officials of ACB and the Vigilance Department.
"On numerous occasions he has put pressure on ACB officers to transfer all cases of corruption involving police personnel from ACB to Delhi Police."
It also alleged that the "Centre has been repeatedly attempting to interfere with and hamper the smooth functioning of the ACB. The notification which have been impugned in the writ petition were the first attempt in this direction."
The AAP government has also sought direction to implead Meena as party in the main petition, which has challenged a May 21 notification and the July 23, 2014 notification limiting the ACB's jurisdiction to Delhi government officials only and not the city police which is under the Centre.
"Pass an order restraining Meena, 1989-batch Indian Police Service officer, Joint Commissioner/New Delhi Range from entering the office of ACB of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and from interfering in any manner with functioning of the ACB," the application, which is likely to be heard on Monday, said.
