Delhi Government Approves CBI Probe into PWD Corruption Case

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved a CBI probe into a corruption case involving four PWD engineers. Allegations center on payments based on forged invoices for an incomplete PWD drain project. The ruling AAP accuses the BJP and LG of a political witch hunt. The accused engineers received anticipatory bail in 2018.

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved a Directorate of Vigilance proposal that referred a corruption case involving four PWD engineers to the CBI for investigation, officials announced on Thursday.

The case concerns alleged payments made based on forged invoices for a Public Works Department drain that was never completed. The payments were allegedly made to Surender Kumar Bansal, a relative of the chief minister.

The ruling AAP has condemned Saxena's approval, calling it a 'blatant witch hunt by the BJP and the LG' aimed at tarnishing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's image. They emphasized that Bansal was a contractor before Kejriwal entered politics and noted that he passed away in 2017.

No immediate responses were available from the BJP and the LG's office. According to official documents, Delhi's Anti Corruption Branch registered the case in 2017 and filed a chargesheet based on a complaint that Bansal, identified as Kejriwal's brother-in-law, was awarded the construction of a drain along National Highway-44.

The Directorate of Vigilance sought prosecution sanctions against the four engineers in November last year, citing vigilance commission guidelines and suggesting a CBI probe.

The engineers secured anticipatory bail from the Delhi High Court in September 2018. The AAP has accused the BJP and the LG of using the case to divert attention from the Union Budget's shortcomings and demanded an unbiased investigation to ensure justice.

(With inputs from agencies.)