President approves FIR against AAP's Sisodia, Jain in classroom 'scam'

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has given her approval for the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 1,300 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools, sources said.

The Delhi government's vigilance directorate recommended an investigation into an alleged scam in 2022 and submitted a report to the chief secretary. The President has now given her approval for registering a First Information Report (FIR) against two former ministers, Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia, in connection with the alleged scam that occurred during their tenure in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) reported "glaring irregularities" in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools by the Public Works Department (PWD) in its February 17, 2020 report.

The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act that pertains to "enquiry or inquiry or investigation of offences relatable to recommendations made or decisions taken by public servants in discharge of official functions or duties."

Reacting to the development, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the BJP, accusing them of conducting a witch hunt against their political opponents. Bharadwaj alleged that the BJP has no intention of fulfilling its promises to the people of Delhi, instead focusing solely on silencing its rivals and stifling the voices of the people.

The BJP-led central government has already decided to prosecute every political adversary of the party and grant approvals to move the case forward, but it should wait for the judicial process to begin, he said.

In July 2019, BJP leader Harish Khurana and then AAP MLA Kapil Mishra, now a minister in the Delhi government, filed a police complaint about the alleged scam.

The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report said the total expenditure incurred for constructing the classrooms and school buildings was around Rs 2,892.65 crore. They were allegedly constructed at the rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas it was common knowledge that the average construction cost (even for a builder of flats) was around Rs 1,500 per square feet.

The total cost for constructing a classroom and school building, according to the tender awarded, was allegedly around Rs 24.86 lakh per room, whereas such rooms are easily constructed in Delhi at around Rs 5 lakh per room, it said.

The prices were increased almost five times to defraud the taxpayer by syphoning off money from the public exchequer in the garb of construction cost, the report said.

The complainants submitted a copy of documents in which information received under the RTI Act in respect of the construction of 18 classrooms in the Govt Girls Senior Secondary School, Nathupura, Burari (school ID: 1207111) revealed that they were constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore, the ACB report said.

(inputs from PTI)