ACB registers FIR against Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain in 'Rs 2,000 cr school scam'

New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Branch has registered a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and former Delhi PWD Minister Satyendra Jain, in connection with corruption in the construction of classrooms at highly exorbitant costs.

The officials said a massive scam to the tune of Rs. 2,000 crores was unearthed in the construction of 12,748 classrooms/buildings during the regime of AAP in Delhi.

Madhur Verma, Head, ACB, confirmed the registration of the FIR.

"Significant deviations and cost escalations were observed, and not a single work was completed within the prescribed period. Consultant and Architect appointed without following due procedure, and cost escalations were carried out through him. Case registered after receiving permission u/s 17-A POC Act from the competent authority," Verma said.

Delhi school scam

In 2019, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari lodged a complaint claiming financial mismanagement in the construction of additional classrooms in government schools in zones 23, 24, and 28.

Tiwari alleged that the government spent Rs 28 lakh per classroom, despite the typical cost being around Rs 5 lakh.

According to tender documents, the cost per classroom was approximately Rs 24.86 lakh, significantly higher than the usual Rs 5 lakh in Delhi. Additionally, it was claimed that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, most allegedly linked to the AAP.

Verification revealed that the Expenditure Finance Committee, in its 2015-16 meetings, had approved the project with a fixed budget and a completion deadline of June 2016, with no allowance for cost increases. However, officials noted that not a single task was completed on time, and there were substantial cost overruns and deviations.

On February 17, 2020, the Chief Technical Examiner of the CVC issued a report, approved by the competent authority, highlighting serious breaches of the CPWD Works Manual 2014, GFR 2017, CVC guidelines, and other irregularities.

The report pointed out that post-tender decisions violated established guidelines, leading to significant cost escalations and financial losses.

Following the President’s approval in March, the ACB initiated an inquiry.