As vigilance dept maintains silence, House initiates privilege proceedings

Department refusing to answer questions about graft cases against officers

With the vigilance department refusing to answer questions about graft cases against officers, the Delhi Assembly on Monday initiated privilege proceedings in the matter, with the Speaker warning officers not to force him to withhold his signature from the Budget 2018-2019, which includes funding for their salaries.

The issue came up during Question Hour on Day Two of the Budget session of the Assembly, when Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in-charge of vigilance department Manish Sisodia said that the officials had refused to give details of the cases against officers. No reply to the question asked by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Pankaj Pushkar was provided to the House.

“The officers came to me with the files two days ago. They showed me instructions from the L-G and cited the High Court order to say that they could not share information about the vigilance cases. I asked them again how this was a services matter, but they did not reply,” said Mr. Sisodia.

He added that the refusal by the vigilance department amounted to “disrespect of all legislative assemblies and the Parliament”. He added that he would approach the High Court and the Centre to say that their orders were being “misinterpreted” in order to “protect corrupt officers”.

Further, Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj asked: “Why should we give the salaries of IAS and DANICS officers? Isn’t that the biggest services matter?”

While referring the matter to the Privilege Committee, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said, “I’ve never seen Mr. Sisodia so troubled in the past three years as he is today. No officer has ever dared to do so before.”

He also directed the Chief Secretary to furnish the replies to the question by Mr. Pushkar and another question about the vigilance department that was not taken up on Monday, but was listed for the session.

Officials with knowledge of the matter said that issues related to the vigilance department, along with those of the services department, come directly under the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant-Governor, who has instructed officers not to show the files pertaining to the issues to the elected government.

The Speaker also asked Divisional Commission and Revenue Secretary Manisha Saxena to be present in the gallery on Tuesday when Mr. Sisodia gives the reply to a question regarding her statement to a newspaper. Ms. Saxena had said that a mob had entered a school and attacked the principal and teachers, according to a newspaper report. When replying to a question by MLA Gulab Singh, Mr. Sisodia said he did not have knowledge of the incident or of Ms. Saxena’s statement. The Speaker then asked Mr. Sisodia to give his reply, after speaking to the officer, on Tuesday.