New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to file a detailed inquiry report over an alleged scam relating to 'ghost' employees in the civic agency.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Mukta Gupta directed the MCD to file a detailed inquiry report by April 28.

The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by Jagrook Welfare Society, an NGO, through counsel C.S. Parashar seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or an independent agency into the allegation that the MCD was paying salary to over 22,000 gardeners and sweepers who existed as employees only on paper.

Besides a CBI inquiry, he also sought the court's direction for initiating a departmental inquiry against the guilty officers of the MCD for their alleged involvement in the scam.

Ajay Arora, counsel for MCD, informed the court that they were in the process of conducting the inquiry and that it would be completed in four weeks' time.

'We are in the process of finalising the inquiry report,' Arora said.

He added that the alleged 'ghost' employees were not identified by the biometric system introduced in the MCD.

He also clarified and submitted an affidavit in the court stating that these alleged 'ghost' employees have not been paid even a single penny from the department till now.