LG rejects request to dissolve Shunglu panel, gives it 6-week extension

Hours after the Delhi government advised Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung to dissolve the Shunglu Committee, which is examining 400 files on decisions taken by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime, he turned down the request and gave the panel a six-week extension.

While rejecting the AAP’s request to dissolve the three- member committee, the LG said the “truth hidden behind these files” must come out.

“Lieutenant Governor has extended the tenure of the three-member committee till December 2. Earlier, the committee was asked by LG to sumbit its report within six weeks,” an official said.

Jung had formed the committee chaired by Shunglu on August 30. Ex-chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami and ex-chief vigilance commissioner Pradeep Kumar are its members.

In a three-page statement, Jung wondered why the AAP government was “afraid” of the truth coming out if everything, as claimed by AAP ministers, was as per rules.

The LG office said the Cabinet resolution was evidently an attempt to “mislead” the public and take attention away from “grave misdemeanours” evident in some of the files.

Jung said the files that have been sent to his office have not been “summoned or impounded” by his office but have been sent by the ministers themselves.

“These are those files where the elected Government has itself admitted that it has not followed Constitutional provisions and transgressed established rules/laws/ conventions. The Ministers have admitted that these matters need to be now regularised,” the LG office said. 

The committee is examining the files to establish the extent of malfeasance, if any, that may have been committed, the LG office also said.

“Some misdemeanours are of the gravity that already these matters are in the process of being referred to the CBI for investigation,” it stated.

Refuting allegations that committee has “threatened” bureaucrats, the LG office said officers the committee has called so far, have been called only for clarifications.