FILE: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (Press Trust of India photo)
Arvind Kejriwal's government has said it will not call off an inquiry into a corruption scam dating back to 2002; the Home Ministry, which has declared the investigation illegal, can go to court, dared Manish Sisodia, the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi.
The confrontation once again pits Mr Kejriwal against Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who acts as the representative of the Centre in Delhi. Last week, Mr Jung wrote a letter of complaint to Mr Kejriwal - also a practiced ritual now in their interaction - declaring that the Home Ministry had said the investigation into what is known as the "CNG fitness scam" was "legally invalid".
Mr Kejriwal's response, if delayed, was not unexpected. A court alone and not the Home Ministry can cancel his inquiry, his deputy, Mr Sisodia said today.
Mr Kejriwal contends that cases like this prove that the Lieutenant Governor works as "an agent of the Centre" to encroach upon the turf of his government, which slammed other parties in the last election to accrue an outsized victory.
Mr Kejriwal has asked a panel headed by a retired judge to investigate an alleged swindle during the first of Congress leader Sheila Dikshit's three terms as Chief Minister of Delhi. The contract to check and issue "fitness certificates" for public transport using CNG was allegedly manipulated and a Rs 100-crore scam was reportedly constructed with the collusion of government officers.
The Lieutenant Governor says that Mr Kejriwal's inquiry is illegal and the scam is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Branch. Mr Kejriwal has already asked the Delhi High Court to declare that the agency should report to him, and not Mr Jung.
The Centre and Mr Jung say that as a Union Territory, key matters of Delhi's administration rest with the Union government and its representative, the Lieutenant Governor.