In more trouble for jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain, Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Saturday gave permission for a probe under the Prevention of Corruption (PoC) Act over a ₹7 crore bribery allegation against the former minister.
“The LG agreed with the Department of Vigilance's (DoV) proposal to refer the matter under Section 17 A of the PoC Act, 1998, to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for approving an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB),” the lieutenant governor's office said in a statement, according to news agency ANI.
In January last year, the ACB began its preliminary probe against Jain, who was arrested in May 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a separate disproportionate assets case and is lodged in Tihar jail.
Also Read: MHA nod to CBI probe against AAP’s Satyendar Jain in jail extortion case
{{/usCountry}}In January last year, the ACB began its preliminary probe against Jain, who was arrested in May 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a separate disproportionate assets case and is lodged in Tihar jail.
Also Read: MHA nod to CBI probe against AAP’s Satyendar Jain in jail extortion case
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the development, Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi claimed that the BJP-led central government was trying to implicate the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in ‘another fake case.’
“The BJP is engaged in a conspiracy against the Delhi government day and night. More than 200 cases were filed against AAP leaders in 10 years. But to date, not a single rupee of corruption has been recovered from anywhere. BJP wants to paralyze the Delhi government,” she said.
What is the ₹7 crore bribery case?
It is alleged that Jain, then a serving minister, was bribed by officials of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) when the firm was installing CCTV cameras across the national capital in 2018-2019, a ₹571 crore project.
The ACB probe was launched on a complaint by Manmohan Pandey, an ex-BEL employee. Pandey, as per officials of the anti-graft agency, gave them a signed copy of the minutes of a meeting related to a disciplinary inquiry against him in September 2019, during which Pandey put on record that the person in charge of the CCTV project said that Jain (then the public works department minister) asked for a bribe of ₹7 crore.
Responding to Pandey's charge, BEL accused him of making ‘false allegations’ as he was dismissed from service.