RTI reveals Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal never called on meetings to discuss law and order or women’s safety

New Delhi, August 8: An RTI  filed has revealed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal never called together meetings to check law and order or review the safety and security of women in the national capital.

The RTI was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Harish Khurana, who then revealed the responses he received from the Chief Minister’s office, Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

The RTI filed seeking details of meetings called by Kejriwal from the period of February 14, 2015, to June 9, 2016, on matters such as the ‘law and order’ and ‘women security’ came back negative stating that no such details are available within the records of the Delhi Government.

Referring to the RTI response which he received from the respective offices after Kejriwal took charge as the Chief Minister of Delhi on February 14, 2015, Khurana claimed that Kejriwal never met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, or Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on this particular issue.

Escalating his attack on Kejriwal, Khurana said, “The RTI shows how serious Arvind Kejriwal is towards the law and order situation in Delhi and on the issue of women security in the capital.”

Khurana said that Kejriwal always criticized the Central Government for not giving him power, but he never exercised the available constitutional powers vested with him.

In his RTI, Khurana sought details on whether the AAP Government had ever summoned Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma to discuss the law and order situation or women security.The CM’s office in its reply on July 6 said, “The information sought is not compiled and hence, not available on record.”

Surprisingly, the Lieutenant Governor’s office also refused to provide any details of the meeting with Kejriwal on the issue of women security and law and order, saying: “The information sought attracts various provisions of exemptions from the disclosure of information under the RTI act.”

However, the reply said that the RTI seeking the particular details has been sent to the concerned authorities’ i.e the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat in Delhi and Delhi Police headquarter for further details.

The Delhi Police and law and order does not fall under the elected government in Delhi as it remains a Union Territory and has no say in the policing issues.

On several occasions, Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal has critiqued that his government can’t interfere in police issue as it was not under his ambit.

An RTI was also sent to the Police Headquarter seeking specific details as to when Kejriwal summoned or called the Delhi Police Commissioner to discuss the law and order or women security issue.

The response issued from the Delhi Police Headquarter said, “No such letter regarding calling of the Commissioner of Delhi Police by Delhi Chief Minister was received in the office of CP/Delhi during the period from Feb 14, 2015 to June 7, 2016. However if any letter/references issued from Delhi Chief Minister’s office in connection regarding the women security and law and order situation in Delhi, the complete reference number and date of the same may be intimated to enable us for proper reply.”