ACB registers case against ex-ministers Jain and Bharadwaj; AAP denies charges
New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi government has registered a case against former AAP ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged corruption in health infrastructure projects of the previous government, officials said on Thursday.
The case was registered days after the Union home ministry granted approval for conducting an investigation by the ACB under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former Delhi health ministers Bharadwaj and Jain.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioned why the FIR against Bharadwaj and Jain is being kept under wraps, while selective press notes are being leaked to the media.
“Is the FIR so baseless that the BJP fears it will become a national joke if released publicly?” it asked.
The FIR has been registered under section Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against Bharadwaj, Jain, unknown government officials, and private contractors, said Madhur Verma, joint commissioner of police, ACB.
A comprehensive investigation has been launched to uncover the full extent of the alleged conspiracy and determine the roles and accountability of the former ministers, officials, and private entities involved, he added.
According to Verma, 24 hospital projects - 11 greenfield and 13 brownfield - were sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5,590 crore in 2018–19.
These projects are mired in inexplicable delays and astronomical cost overruns, they said. On August 22 last year, a detailed complaint was received from Gupta, then Leader of Opposition, Delhi, highlighting “grave irregularities and suspected corruption in various health infrastructure projects under the Delhi government”, said Verma.
The complaint named Bharadwaj and Jain, alleging “systematic manipulation of project budgets, misuse of public funds, and collusion with private contractors”, he added.
It was alleged that during 2018–2019, 24 hospital projects worth Rs 5,590 crore were sanctioned. However, these projects remained largely incomplete, with substantial and unexplained cost escalations. Similarly, the Rs 1,125 crore ICU Hospital Project, covering seven pre-engineered facilities with a total of 6,800 beds, remains only 50 per cent complete after nearly three years and expenditure of Rs 800 crore, despite an initial six-month completion
timeline, Verma said.
Verification of the complaint revealed unauthorised additional construction at government hospitals in Jwalapuri and Madipur carried out without approval from competent authorities, he said.
The Madipur hospital project was to be completed by November 2022, but remains abandoned and far from completion, the officer said.
It was revealed that the seven ICU hospitals have witnessed cost escalations exceeding 100 per cent, with construction still incomplete well beyond the deadline of February 2022, he added.
Verma flagged delays and cost overruns in LNJP Hospital and polyclinic projects, along with the non-implementation of HIMS. AAP countered, saying all approvals predate Bharadwaj’s tenure. Bharadwaj accused the BJP of shielding officials and misusing agencies, while Jain said no evidence of corruption in the original project sanctions exists.
