A former member of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has alleged that the inquiry into the “misuse” of funds by the panel has been ordered under the BJP pressure and without any evidence hinting at any wrongdoing.
The Raj Niwas did not comment on it.
The Lieutenant-Governor had on November 9 approved a proposal of the Women and Child Development Department (WCD) to institute an inquiry and ordered a special audit into the alleged misuse of funds.
A source at the Raj Niwas had said the department had noted that the commission had increased its financial demands “exponentially” in recent years while it did not submit fund utilisation details to the authorities concerned before demanding additional funds.
Nitin Tyagi, a former DCPCR member, said the L-G must have ordered the probe out of “compulsion”. Mr. Tyagi said L-G “might be getting such directions from the hierarchy above” as he was appointed by the BJP-led Union government.
He alleged that the inquiry was ordered in “retaliation” to a DCPCR probe that unearthed several shortcomings at a school run by BJP leader Kuljeet Singh Chahal in east Delhi.
The toilets for the children there had no partition and fire safety norms were not adhered to, he added.
“It’s plausible that under pressure from BJP leaders, L-G initiated this inquiry. This inquiry lacks substance. The DCPCR is a statutory body, which works like a watchdog. People should understand this. This kind of inquiry and media reports following this create confusion,” he said
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Reacting to it, Mr. Chahal said the investigation was conducted under pressure from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and no shortcoming was found.
He said the school had the building plan and completion certificate as per rules. The school also has a no-objection certificate from the Fire Department, he said.
Mr. Chahal called the allegations baseless and politically motivated.
A source at the DCPCR told The Hindu that many issues raised by the WCD for the probe were untrue.
The source said it was alleged that the commission was not taking approval of the competent authority for increasing the salary of its chairman and members.
Salaries of DCPCR members were last increased in 2019, the source added refuting the allegations