FIR recommended against Sheila Dikshit, others

Delhi law minister Kapil Mishra on August 28 urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to order an FIR against former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and others in connection with an alleged scam in hiring water tankers which caused a loss of Rs 400 crore to the state exchequer.

Mishra, who also holds the charge of chairperson of Delhi Jal Board, had on June 19 formed a ‘Fact-Finding Committee’ to look into the hiring of around 385 stainless steel water tankers from private companies during the Sheila Dikshit government in 2012.

The move comes after the committee submitted its report to the board. In the report, the committee found irregularities in the tendering process, which has led to a loss of Rs 400 crore to the state exchequer.

“This report is <g data-gr-id="30">self explanatory</g> and exposes how the then DJB chairperson and chief minister Sheila Dikshit and other board members have consistently bypassed laws and rules to cause a loss of almost Rs 400 crore to the DJB,” Mishra said in his letter to Kejriwal. He requested that an FIR should be lodged by Delhi government based on the Fact-Finding Committee’s report against all those involved in this scam.Mishra also expressed fears that attempts would be made to <g data-gr-id="26">destablise</g> the AAP government and remove him from his post.

“This is a big expose and I am afraid that immediately after this, there will be attempts to <g data-gr-id="31">destablise</g> our government in Delhi and also to remove me from this chair,” he said.

The case dates to 2012 when the Delhi Jal Board procured tankers to supply water in various areas where there was scarcity. Reacting to DJB’s recommendation to register FIR against Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said: “This move of the Delhi government is to grab the headlines of the media. If AAP government really wants to eradicate corruption then they should appoint Lokpal instead of registering an FIR against Dikshit.”