A special court on Monday granted bail to Delhi Commission for Women’s chief Swati Maliwal in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment of staff at the agency, reported PTI. The court granted her bail on the grounds that she was not needed for custodial interrogation. Maliwal had to furnish a personal bond and surety of Rs 20,000.
Besides, special judge Hemani Malhotra said the evidence in the case was documentary. The court had issued a summons to Maliwal on January 18 after taking cognisance of the Anti-Corruption Bureau chargesheet in the case. The court will again hear the matter on April 6, reported IANS.
The investigation against the DCW chief began after Barkha Shukla Singh, a former chief of the women’s panel and Congress legislator, filed a complaint that accused Maliwal of resorting to “nepotism and favouritism” in the appointment of 85 new DCW staff members. Singh had also alleged that Maliwal appointed supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party to key positions without following protocol and issuing required advertisements for the posts. On September 20, 2016, the ACB had registered an FIR against Maliwal in the case.
Earlier, former Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung had also sought an inquiry into recent appointments at the DCW, following reports said that a majority of the commission’s staff were AAP workers. AAP head and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had warned that Maliwal, who is married to party legislator Naveen Jaihind, was in danger of being arrested for “doing a good job”.
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