The appointment by the AAP government of Swati Maliwal as the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women has taken a serious turn with Raj Niwas directing principal secretary (social welfare) Parimal Rai to explain how the order for her appointment had been passed in the name of lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung without seeking his prior approval. “The DCW office will be locked”, she had tweeted. Files le li aur office na aane ko kaha? Files have been taken back and I have been asked not to come to office.
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But Ms Maliwal stood her ground, saying she meant the Lieutenant Governor had “communicated to my office, not me directly”.
The 30-year-old women’s activist said she will continue in her capacity as DCW chief till further government orders in this regard.
Maliwal had on Monday sought an urgent appointment with the Lt Governor to discuss the Anand Prabat’s murder case in which a 19-year-old girl was stabbed to death by two youths.
Maliwal’s appointment has also been questioned by the BJP and the Congress, which accused the AAP of adopting “family politics”, as Maliwal is the wife of Haryana AAP leader Naveen Jaihind.
In an exclusive conversation with Zee Media, Maliwal said a senior DCW official told her that they had received a call from the LG, who had instructed the official to not allow the women’s commission chief to sign any file.
A combative Ms Maliwal, 30, said she was “not going to office today” but would not back down.
“We totally respect the constitutionality of the L-G’s office and will abide by any communication from him”. CM Arvind Kejriwal has taken the decision to appoint Maliwal as per the Constitution and law. She has been associated with the AAP chief since India Against Corruption days. “Nothing can inhibit me from doing so”, she added.
Maliwal alleged that though she has a notification from the government about her appointment, she doesn’t know if she is still the DCW chief.
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Kejriwal government on May 20 also challenged the authority of lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung over issuing instructions to Delhi government even as chief minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that “everybody has got united against us”.
