Maliwal’s tit-for-tat plaint against Barkha Singh Shukla

Accusing former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and former Delhi Commission for Women chiefs — Barkha Singh Shukla and Kiran Walia — of indulging in “gross financial irregularities,” the current women’s panel chief Swati Maliwal on Friday filed a complaint against the three and asked the anti-corruption branch to arrest and jail them.

Ms Maliwal, who is herself facing an ACB probe over alleged irregularities in recruitment to the panel, said that a 128-page document detailing all the wrongdoings by the three has been submitted to the ACB. “The commission while pursuing the files of the previous commission has discovered instances of gross financial irregularities and high misappropriation of government funds done by previous chairpersons, namely Barkha Shukla Singh and Kiran Walia, with some instances prima facie being carried out under directions of then Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit,” Ms Maliwal said in the complaint.

While the ACB officials maintained that the complaint is being looked into, Ms Shukla rejected the allegations terming them as “politically motivated.” Ms Maliwal’s complaint comes days after the ACB registered an FIR against her in connection with illegal recruitments in the women’s panel based on a complaint filed by Ms Shukla.

The allegations in the complaint include financial fraud of over Rs 50 lakhs in the name of Nirbhaya and a silent march for her on January 2, 2013, appointment of a sitting MLA as DCW chief providing opportunities for misuse of office, diversion of funds for political gains and personal glorification, paid interviews and irregularities in celebration of International Women’s day over the years.

“While holding the post of Chairperson her (Ms Shukla’s ) conduct amounted to misusing of public office with aim to benefit certain individuals. Every year, a majority of the budget of the commission was spent only on organising such functions and giving out advertisements which has been criticised by audit reports time and again,” the complaint said.

She however rubbished that she was acting out of vendetta and said that she did not go through any of these files when she took over as the Commission’s chief. “I thought let me start afresh... But when they complained against me, in order to understand the procedure that was to be followed, we started looking through the files. I was shocked to see that this is the kind of corruption they could do in a very, very small organisation which hardly has any budget. I wonder what they must be doing for the entire Delhi government.”