AAP files complaint against Jung with ACB

Ruling party says L-G pitched for parole to Chautala

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Branch  (ACB) against Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung for allegedly putting pressure on Delhi Home Minister to grant parole to former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.

The move comes apparently as a retaliation to Raj Niwas suggestion on Friday that the AAP government had levelled these allegations only because Jung had turned down a request for withdrawal of cases against AAP leaders.

In a letter to the ACB, the party alleged that “quid pro quo” in the dealings of Chautala’s parole. “The L-G, being a constitutional position, has misused his office to provide benefit to a OP Chautala, in both May 2015 as well as on October 2015,” said the party’s letter.

‘L-G Pressuring minister’

AAP leaders Ashutosh, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Raghav Chadha met ACB chief Mukesh Meena on Saturday and submitted the party’s complaint. The AAP also accused the L-G of pressurising Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain for considering parole of Chautala, who is lodged in Tihar jail after being convicted for corruption.

“A request is made by O P Chautala, seeking parole on medical grounds in October. Despite the Delhi government’s strong objection to any parole request and inability for entertaining such a request under the Parole Guidelines 2010, the L-G exercised pressure on Jain, asking him to grant parole to the convict,” the AAP letter said.

“The reasons given by L-G while pressurising the home minister were that Chautala has been a five-time president of a political party and thereby he should be granted parole,” AAP said.

The party has been highly critical Meena’s functioning and was even at loggerheads with the L-G over his appointment as the probe agency’s chief.

The party also alleged that Jung was aware of Chautala’s parole pleas through “informal channels” and had mentioned it during a meeting with Jain on October 21.

Taking the controversy over the parole further, the party said, “His willingness to discriminate in this case and offer favourable treatment to a person convicted on grounds of corruption raises concerns.”

Earlier on Friday, the L-G’s office in a rare media briefing had alleged that the AAP government had sought to hasten the withdrawal of 24 criminal cases registered against AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, pending in various courts.