Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain summoned over Rs 2,000 cr 'scam' in classroom construction

New Delhi: The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has summoned AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over alleged graft in the construction of classrooms in government schools, an official said on Wednesday.

Jain has been asked to appear before the ACB on June 6, while Sisodia has been summoned for questioning on June 9, he said.

The summons come after an FIR was registered by the ACB on April 30 based on allegations of financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of over 12,000 classrooms or semi-permanent structures in Delhi government schools.

Officials said Sisodia, who held the finance and education portfolios of the previous AAP government in the national capital, and Jain, then in charge of the public works department and other ministries, are being questioned in connection with alleged lapses flagged by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

"The CVC's Chief Technical Examiner's report pointed out multiple anomalies in the project. The report was allegedly not acted upon for nearly three years," Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) Madhur Verma said.

The FIR was registered after obtaining approval under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the competent authority, Verma added.

In 2019, BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Harish Khurana and Neelkant Bakshi had filed a complaint with the ACB, alleging serious financial irregularities in the construction of classrooms across three zones of Delhi.

According to the complaint, the average cost per classroom was pegged at Rs 24.86 lakh -- significantly higher than the estimated Rs 5 lakh cost for similar structures.

An investigation is currently underway and further action will be taken based on findings from the ongoing inquiry, officials said.