AAP Moves to HC Against ACB Chief Appointment

The AAP government has now filed an interim application with the High Court of Delhi for the appointment of Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena as Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) chief.
This move by the LG of the national capital was condemned by the party in power of in New Delhi for various reasons.
The first contention of the government is that this position falls under the jurisdiction of the vigilance department and hence it should be the government’s decision as to who should be appointed at this position. The appointment by the LG is hence, as pointed out by the deputy chief minister of NCT, is unconstitutional.
The second and the more important reason why this appointment is being so fiercely challenged by the government of NCT is that Meena is still not cleared from the allegations of the Hawala racket. Going by the manifesto and the policy of the Aam Aadmi Party, the appointment of such an officer at such an important position is against the benefit of the public of Delhi and hence should be scrapped as soon as possible.
This issue has come up as yet another disagreement between the government of Delhi and the LG of Delhi. This tug of war between the two highest governing authorities of NCT has been in news for a long time now, and is condemned by many. For a more harmonious governance of the territory, the two need to come into terms with each other’s policies and work together.
 
Author: Akshay Goel, Hidayatullah National Law University