Vigilance dept officers likely to face privilege proceedings

New Delhi: Officers of the vigilance department are likely to face privilege proceedings, with Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Monday ordering an Assembly panel to probe the matter pertaining to their refusal to answer a question asked by an MLA.

The Speaker directed Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to provide the answer to a question asked by AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar and warned the officers that they should not force him to the extent that he does not to sign the Delhi Budget 2018-19 to be tabled on March 22.

He also forwarded the matter to the privilege committee of the House for further action.

The second day of the Budget session saw Goel, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP MLAs targeting bureaucrats in the House.

Expressing displeasure over the officers, who have been at loggerheads with the AAP dispensation since the alleged attack on the Chief Secretary, Sisodia said that it is "disrespect of the Legislative Assembly and Parliament".

The matter got heated up when Sisodia told the House that officers of the vigilance department refused to reply to a question.

"Vigilance department officers came to me with the files two days ago. They showed me the note of the LG, saying the information about vigilance cases can't be shared with elected government," Sisodia said.

The Deputy Chief Minister added that he insisted on the information and asked the department to supply it, but it did not reply.

"This is disrespect of all assemblies and the Parliament. They are trying to protect officers who have corruption cases," he said.

After Sisodia, the Speaker also expressed displeasure over the attitude of the officers and asked them not to challenge the authority of the Speaker and the Assembly.

"It has perhaps happened in the history of democracy of the country. It appears that there is British Rule in country and no democracy here. I want to warn officers not to challenge the authority of the speaker and Assembly," Goel said.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said that salary of the officers should be stopped as they are refusing the answers of MLAs questions following the LG's directions.

Accusing the LG of protecting the officers, Bharadwaj alleged that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal encourages bureaucrats to move court whenever committees of the House initiate proceedings against them for not following the Assembly panel's order.

Bharadwaj alleged that the LG is defining the role of the Assembly Committees.