In yet another face-off between the Arvind Kejriwal government and the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, the commission of inquiry probing the CNG Fitness scam of 2012 issued a non-bailable warrant against the Delhi Anti-Corruption Bureau’s joint commissioner of police Mukesh Meena on Friday for not appearing before the body.

The Justice Agarwal Commission was constituted by the AAP-led Delhi government to probe the scam. Several transport department officials and bureaucrats of the former Sheila Dikshit government have been accused in the scam.

According to officials, despite repeated reminders, Meena had not appeared before the commission nor did he produce the necessary documents for the investigation. The panel has also asked for 30% of Meena’s salary to be attached to the warrant for the violation. A notice has been served to Meena and the Civil Lines police station on the matter.

Meena, the LG-appointed ACB chief, had been conducting a parallel probe into the scam and has recently filed a chargesheet on the case naming nine officials, including two bureaucrats, after Jung had declared the Justice Agarwal Commission invalid on the union home ministry’s directions.

The Delhi government had, however, decided to continue with the commission of inquiry and had objected to Meena’s probe, with deputy CM Manish Sisodia demanding to know why the ACB bypassed the vigilance department in the probe. The ACB is a wing of the vigilance department.

The Rs.100 crore CNG Fitness Scam was unearthed by RTI activist Vivek Garg who alleged that the contract for conducting lane test of commercial vehicles before granting fitness certificates was granted to ESP India without inviting any tender in 2002.

The ACB has remained one of the disputed territories between the Kejriwal government and Jung since the beginning of this year, with both appointing independent ACB heads of their choice. This has crippled the functioning of the anti-corruption body, strengthening of which was one of the chief promises that the AAP government made before it came to power.

On the other hand Vijender Gupta, leader of opposition in Delhi Vidhan Sabha also demanded a judicial probe into removal of Additional Public Prosecutor of Vinod Kumar Sharma for filing the chargesheet in the CNG scam case. He alleged that Sharma was also threatened by the AAP government, for ‘discharging his duty’.