Arvind Kejriwal, brother-in-law accused of corruption; Delhi Police launch probe

Delhi Police are probing corruption charges levelled against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal and a public servant over alleged irregularities in the granting of contracts for building roads and laying of sewer lines in Delhi.

Police’s Economic Offences Wing has registered a preliminary enquiry, an official said on Tuesday. The complaint was filed by a person believed to be associated with Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO) --- an NGO that claims to monitor public works.

Sharma alleged that Bansal, in connivance with the Delhi government’s PWD unit, bagged contracts in the name of different companies with the help of forged and fake documents.

Sharma said Bansal, the proprietor of a construction company, cheated the public exchequer and accused an executive engineer of helping him.

“...The chief minister of Delhi must also be investigated as he has caused the substantive gain to Bansal and his other relatives by using his chief ministerial influence,” the complaint read. Officials said prima facie it would be wrong to assume that the Kejriwal’s brother-in-law was guilty.

An official said: “After the preliminary enquiry is over, the complaint will either be disposed (of) or an FIR will be registered. It is too early to comment.”

The police’s move could prove to be the latest flashpoint in the tussle between Delhi’s AAP government and the BJP-led Centre.

Since the AAP stormed to power, 13 party MLAs have been arrested over the past two years. The stream of legal action has triggered allegations – especially from Kejriwal – that the Centre was trying to impede the city government’s work by arresting legislators. Delhi Police report to the Union home ministry.

The latest action came close on the heels of an HT investigation, which looked into the court papers pertaining to the cases against the AAP leaders, showed police were struggling to explain the charges in most cases.