The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) filed a charge sheet against Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday in an alleged case of recruitment irregularities.

Filed before a Special ACB Judge at the Tis Hazari Court, the charge sheet mentions alleged offences under Section 13 (criminal misconduct by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

Ms. Maliwal called this an attempt to stop the anti-prostitution drive she started at GB Road and the investigation into rape allegations against three political leaders.

“First, a false FIR was registered. Now, a charge sheet has been filed. This is strange as we received a notice from the ACB on Wednesday asking for more documents related to the case, which means that the probe is still on. So how could they submit a charge sheet?” Ms. Maliwal asked. She also said that she was being persecuted for her attempts to identify the owners of buildings on GB Road from where prostitution rackets were being run and the politicians who supported these.

Under pressure

“The ACB’s filing of a charge sheet is an attempt to threaten us and thwart our attempts at ending prostitution on GB Road,” she claimed. The DCW chief also alleged that the commission had received complaints of rape against three leaders of a prominent political party and that she was being pressurised to settle these cases.

“We are being pressurised to settle complaints of rape against three leaders of a big political party. We are an apolitical body and do not want to get into any politics, which is why we are not making the names public. But we will definitely act if a woman approaches the commission for help,” said Ms. Maliwal.

Apart from the ACB, the commission is also facing a crisis with salaries of employees being held up for almost four months and many of its programmes possibly closing by the end of the month.