Fresh row in DCW over Dilraj Kaur’s appointment

NEW DELHI: In a fresh confrontation, an Lga-ppointed bureaucrat on Monday cautioned Delhi Commission for Women to not allow an official backed by Delhi government to carry out work as its member secretary, saying such act on his part would be “untenable” and shall attract penal action.

IAS officer Dilraj Kaur, who was appointed as DCW member secretary by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, wrote a strongly-worded letter to DCW chief Swati Maliwal, saying incumbent P P Dhal should not continue in the post as his appointment was “illegal” and “devoid” of any statutory basis. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had directed Chief Secretary M M Kutty and Maliwal not to allow Kaur to function as DCW Member Secretary.

Strongly reacting to Kaur’s letter, Maliwal wrote a letter to Lt Governor Jung calling the communication by the bureaucrat “shocking” and reflective of “utter disrespect and disregard” to the directions of the Chief Minister. “In utter disrespect and disregard to the directions of the Chief Minister, she vide her letter dated December 16 has again asserted herself as the Member Secretary of the Commission. Furthermore, going way beyond her jurisdiction, she has threatened the government appointed officiating Member Secretary with penal action,” said Maliwal. In the letter, Maliwal conveyed to Jung that an environment of terror and fear was being deliberately created for the staff working in the Commission and attempts were being made to intimidate the sub-ordinate officers to ensure a complete collapse of its functioning.