Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena has removed as many as 223 contractual employees of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) with immediate effect, terming their appointment illegal and against the rules.

The employees were appointed by the then chairperson of the DCW, Swati Maliwal.

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An order issued by the office of the Lieutenant Governor said that the panel has a sanctioned strength of 40 employees and that 223 new posts were created without the approval of the Lieutenant Governor.

“DCW has violated the statutory provisions of DCW Act, 1994 and various standing instructions of the Department of Finance & Planning Department, GNCTD by creating 223 posts and engaging staff without following due procedure i.e. no study was conducted to assess the actual requirement of additional staff and eligibility criteria for each post, no administrative approval and expenditure sanctioned was obtained from the GNCTD for engaging such manpower and applications for such posts were not formally invited, role and responsibility for any of these posts were not assigned and emoluments of some of the incumbents which were decided at the time of initial appointment, were enhanced very sharply and arbitrarily,” the order read.

Taking cognizance of all these alleged irregularities and illegalities made by the DCW, the order said, “the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor has approved the proposal of the department that the appointments of contractual staff engaged in DCW without having sanctioned posts and without following due procedures is void ab initio and the same cannot be allowed to continue in DCW.”

“Therefore, the approval of the Government is hereby conveyed to Delhi Commission for Women to discontinue the services of all contractual staff with immediate effect who have been appointed by DCW at any point of time, by going beyond its delegated power and without following various procedures laid down and in violation of DCW Act/ rules/regulations/guidelines issued by Govt of NCT of Delhi from time to time,” the order added.

Before entering the Rajya Sabha, Ms Maliwal, who is currently AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP, had headed the Delhi Commission for Women for nine years. As per the order, she was repeatedly advised to take the finance department’s approval for making these appointments.

Ms Maliwal and the Aam Aadmi Party are yet to respond to the LG’s order.