Delhi's former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and former Minister Satyendar Jain face a new FIR filed by the ACB, alleging corruption in classroom construction, further escalating their legal troubles.
Delhi News: Delhi's political landscape is once again heated. The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has taken significant action in an alleged ₹2000 crore classroom construction scam that allegedly occurred during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's tenure. On Wednesday, the ACB filed an FIR against Delhi's former Deputy CM and Education Minister, Manish Sisodia, and former PWD Minister, Satyendar Jain.
The allegations center around significant financial irregularities in the construction of 12,748 classrooms or buildings in Delhi government schools. The cost incurred reportedly far exceeded the budgeted amount, and the projects were not completed on time.
The Classroom Scam?
Reports suggest that the classroom construction projects were awarded to specific contractors, many of whom are allegedly linked to the AAP. The scale of the alleged scam is highlighted by the fact that while the average cost of constructing a classroom is approximately ₹5 lakh, the government reportedly spent around ₹28 lakh per classroom.
The initial complaint was filed in 2019 by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who alleged widespread corruption and irregularities in the construction of classrooms in numerous government schools.
A Three-Year-Old Suppressed Report
According to the ACB, a detailed report outlining irregularities in the project was prepared by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)'s Chief Technical Examiner.
However, this report remained suppressed for approximately three years. The FIR was registered after the Anti-Corruption Branch received permission under Section 17-A of the POC Act.
Further Entanglement in Ongoing Investigations
This is not the first instance of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain facing controversies. Sisodia has previously been jailed in connection with the excise policy scam, and Jain in a money laundering case. Both are currently out on bail.
