CM asked me for hiring in DCW, says former chief

Former Delhi Commission for Women chief Barkha Shukla Singh on Friday said that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had approached her for making an appointment in the women’s panel when she was its chief. Mr Kejriwal’s name figures in the FIR filed by the anti-corruption branch against the DCW for irregularities in recruitment of employees. The FIR was lodged based on the complaint of the former women’s panel chief.

Reacting to the complaint filed by the DCW against her, Ms Singh said it is a politically-motivated move coming at a time when the current chief Swati Maliwal and the DCW are being investigated on the complaint and evidence provided by her. “The ACB should conduct appropriate inquiry and the truth should surface,” Ms Singh said.

She said the complaint filed by her mentions Mr Kejriwal’s name because it was him who had first approached her to hire one Raj Mangal Prasad while she was the chairperson of DCW. In response to CM’s request, Ms Singh claimed that she then told him that the power to make appointments in the commission rests with the ministry of women and child development and that she has no authority to hire employees. According to her, the CM also asked her to go slow on cases against AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas and Somnath Bharati.