
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday summoned the original file of the proposal for the restoration of the Delhi Commission for Women’s (DCW) financial and administrative autonomy in a case related to alleged irregularities in recruitment in DCW during Swati Maliwal‘s tenure.
Special judge Jitendra Singh summoned the original file for the next hearing on April 8 at the request of the prosecution from the department of women and child development of the Delhi govt.
The court is recording evidence in the case in which Maliwal and others are accused.
The case involves corruption allegations levelled against Maliwal for allegedly abusing the official position by illegally appointing acquaintances, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers, in the women’s rights body between Aug 6, 2015, and Aug 1, 2016.
The case was registered on a complaint by former MLA Barkha Singh on Aug 11, 2016, before the anti-corruption branch, wherein she alleged that AAP members were appointed in DCW in violation of all rules, without announcement of vacancies, and granting pecuniary benefits to them. Following this, an inquiry was conducted, and an FIR was registered. In 2022, a Delhi court framed charges against Maliwal and three others—Promila Gupta, Sarika Chaudhary, and Farheen Malick—under various sections.
Last month, the court directed the verification of medical documents of Singh, who previously served as DCW chairperson during the Congress govt. Her counsel told the court that Singh remains confined to bed, unable to appear in court for testimony. Asked about the possibility of video conferencing, the counsel said this was also not feasible. The court scheduled the subsequent judicial hearing for March 19.