Day after Satyender Jain gets clean chit, AAP faces another graft charge

The Delhi government on Tuesday (August 5) alleged irregularities in the construction of a new block in the LNJP Hospital under the AAP dispensation, a day after former minister Satyendar Jain was granted relief by a CBI court in an alleged corruption case.

Hitting back, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a statement accused the BJP of hatching conspiracies against its leaders and "squandering taxpayers' money on these directionless investigations".

Earlier in the day, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said the government has sent a file to Lt Governor VK Saxena for a probe into the matter.

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"The budget sanctioned for the construction of a new block at LNJP Hospital increased by ₹650 crore. (Former) PWD minister Satyendar Jain got changes done," Verma said.

"He would go on inspection and suggest changes which led to cost escalation. There was a scam of ₹650 crore. We have sent the file to the LG on the matter. He will forward it to either ACB or CBI," Verma told reporters.

A committee was constituted by the governor last year to examine the "procedural lapses", and it was found that the original contract amount was ₹465 crore, which escalated by almost 243 per cent to ₹1,139 crore.

Alleged irregularities

The committee highlighted alleged irregularities and violations in consultancy work under Jain, who was the then Delhi health minister. The committee suggested that a favoured architect consultant was appointed without a proper tender, violating procurement rules and the General Financial Rules (GFR), sources said.

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Although six consultants were empanelled, it was specifically noted that financial bids were required to be called separately for each project. This requirement was ignored, and an arbitrary decision was taken to appoint consultants district-wise or region-wise, the sources said.

This effectively meant that a single consultant was allowed to handle all projects in a designated area, without any fresh bidding, thereby undermining competitive selection, they said.

'Baseless, frivolous': AAP

Reacting to the development, AAP in a statement said, "The BJP and its ministers are obsessed with the ACB, CBI, and ED. Every day, they hatch conspiracies against AAP leaders, waste time drafting baseless and frivolous cases, and squander taxpayers' money on these directionless investigations."

Alleging that BJP leaders lack even a basic understanding of the law, the party said they don't grasp the fundamental definition of the word "corruption”.

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"Just a day ago, the court taught them a lesson by closing one of the CBI cases against Satyendar Jain. The court clearly stated that the CBI had registered a baseless case with no corruption, no criminality, and no evidence. Yet, the minister's home was raided, and he was harassed for eight years," it said.

Clean chit for Jain

In a major relief for Satyendar Jain, a special court on Monday (August 4) accepted the CBI's closure report filed in a 2018 case against him and others related to alleged corruption in hiring a creative team for the department, noting that the "investigation found no criminal activity or wrongful loss to the government".

Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh said the investigating agency had not found any incriminating evidence against Satyendar Jain and others over such a long period, and further proceedings would serve no useful purpose.

The case against Jain was related to alleged corruption in the hiring of a 17-member creative team for the PWD’s projects. It alleged irregularities in the hiring of professionals, misuse of project funds, and violations of recruitment and financial rules.

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The main allegation was that Jain, the PWD minister, and officials in the department ignored standard hiring practices followed by the government and manipulated the process to favour one company.

The CBI finally filed a closure report emphasising that “there was no evidence of pecuniary advantage, conspiracy, or corruption”. The agency found that the hiring of professionals was based on merit after an advertisement by the department had attracted 1,700 applications for the jobs.

“The total investigation found no criminal activity or wrongful loss to the government, nor any pecuniary benefit to M/s. Soni Detectives. No evidence of quid pro quo or conspiracy has emerged, and the acts of public servants do not constitute fraudulent conduct,” said the CBI.

AAP slammed the BJP for allegedly framing its leaders including Satyendar Jain in false cases, and questioned who would compensate the families for the emotional distress caused by the allegations of corruption.

“What my family had to face was not right. I am the son of a teacher. Arvind Kejriwal had told me that if I joined AAP, we might be sent to jail. I thought it was a joke, but later I understood politics. There was no case against me before I entered politics. We have become an example for the middle-class that if you dare to join politics, this is what will happen to you,” said an emotional Satyendar Jain.

(With agency inputs)