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Cash-for-ticket row: AAP MLA summoned after arrest of his three aides
MLA Akhilesh Tripathi has been summoned to ACB headquarters on Thursday noon and the other MLA whose name has surfaced in the probe will also be summoned later
The anti-corruption branch (ACB) on Wednesday summoned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Akhilesh Tripathi for questioning on Thursday in connection with the arrest of three men who allegedly took bribe on his behalf in exchange for party tickets in the forthcoming MCD elections, officials aware of the probe said.
“MLA Tripathi has been summoned to ACB headquarters tomorrow at noon. The other MLA whose name has surfaced in the probe will also be summoned later,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.
On Wednesday morning, the Delhi anti-corruption branch (ACB) announced arrest of three men -- MLA Tripathi’s brother-in-law, the lawmaker’s personal assistant (PA) and another person -- who allegedly took money from a north Delhi businessman to get his wife a councillor’s ticket in the forthcoming MCD election.
Also Read:Cash-for-ticket row: ACB arrests three persons including relative of AAP MLA
ACB chief Madhur Verma said Tripathi’s brother-in-law Om Singh, along with his two accomplices -- Shiv Shankar Pandey (PA of MLA Tripathi) and Prince Raghuvanshi were caught red handed with ₹35 lakh that they were returning to the complainant because the party worker’s name was not in the list of those who were given tickets to contest the election.
The election across 250 wards of the MCD is being held on December 4.
Explaining details of the case, the ACB said that on November 14, the complainant Gopal Khari approached the ACB alleging that the MLA Tripathi had asked for a bribe of ₹90 lakh to get a ticket from ward 69 (Kamla Nagar) for his wife, Shobha Khari.
“The complainant paid a bribe of ₹35 lakh to MLA Tripathi and ₹20 lakh to MLA of Wazirpur, Rajesh Gupta on the instructions of Tripathi. He assured MLA Tripathi that the remaining money would be paid after his wife got the ticket. On November 12, the complainant did not find his wife’s name in the list of candidates released by party. The accused Om Singh contacted Khari (complainant) and said that the money would be returned and that his wife would get a ticket in the next election. Khari has submitted video and audio recording of the conversation when the money was returned,” said ACB chief Verma.
The officer said that on the intervening night of November 15-16, ACB laid a trap at Khari’s residence and caught the three men red handed while returning the ₹35 lakh bribe money.
“We have registered a case and are probing the role of other people in the case,” added Verma.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, said, the development is a “matter of satisfaction” for the party as it shows that even if someone is exchanging money for seeking party ticket, the ticket allocation process is not affected.
“Someone paid money to someone but they still could not get the party ticket. I see a silver lining in it and AAP has passed in this test. This is a solid proof that money does not have impact in the functioning of Aam Aadmi Party,” Sisodia said.
