AAP ex-ministers Sisodia, Jain booked in Rs 2,000-cr classroom construction scam
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has registered a case against former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain in connection with an alleged scam amounting to Rs 2,000 crore, a senior officer said here on Wednesday.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the construction of over 12,700 school classrooms across the city during their tenure in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government.
The FIR, registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, comes on complaints from BJP leaders Harish Khurana, Kapil Mishra and Neelkanth Bakshi.
The complainants accused the former ministers of overseeing construction projects undertaken at exorbitant costs — reportedly Rs 24.86 lakh per classroom — when similar structures could typically be built for around Rs 5 lakh in Delhi.
“It is alleged that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, a majority of whom were allegedly associated with the Aam Aadmi Party," said Joint Commissioner of Police and Head of the ACB, Madhur Verma.
The ACB, based on the complaint, launched a comprehensive investigation to examine the alleged conspiracy and determine the roles of the former ministers, government officials and associated contractors.
After a preliminary examination of the complaint, the ACB found a series of violations in the construction of classrooms following which it approached the competent authority with a proposal to seek legal action against former AAP ministers.
“The proposal has now been granted," the officer said.
He said that the ACB’s initial probe revealed that despite a 2015-16 finance committee decision capping costs and timelines, most projects saw major delays and cost overruns.
In several instances, the contract values escalated by 17 per cent to 90 per cent, with Rs 205.45 crore attributed to the use of richer construction specifications, bypassing the need for fresh tenders — an alleged violation of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) norms.
Notably, a report by the Chief Technical Examiner of the CVC — approved in February 2020 but allegedly withheld for three years — cited multiple violations of the CPWD and CVC guidelines.
It also pointed out that the cost of constructing SPS classrooms was nearly equivalent to building permanent structures, defeating the stated purpose of cost efficiency.
India