ACB issues summons to Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain in classroom construction scam case

New Delhi:  The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has issued summonses to former AAP Ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over alleged corruption in the construction of classrooms in government schools.

Satyendar Jain was summoned to the ACB office on June 6, and Manish Sisodia was asked to appear on June 9.

The ACB issued the summonses on Tuesday over alleged corruption of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of 12,748 classrooms or semi-permanent structures in government schools during the previous AAP government’s tenure.

On April 30, the ACB registered an FIR against the two AAP leaders.

Jain was the minister of the Public Works Department (PWD), which carried out the constructions, in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, and Manish Sisodia was the Education Minister.

The anti-corruption body has alleged that the scam involved awarding contracts at highly inflated rates, with classrooms in government-run schools reportedly built at Rs 24.86 lakh each, nearly five times the usual cost.

It has also been alleged that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, and a majority of them were linked to the AAP.

The ACB has alleged that the construction involved Semi-Permanent Structures (SPS) with an expected lifespan of 30 years, yet costs matched those of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) structures, which typically last up to 75 years.

The project’s cost was increased by Rs 326 crore without bringing new tenders, the ACB has said in its report.

The anti-corruption body said that “significant deviations and cost escalations” were noticed, but not a “single work was completed within the prescribed period”.

The Delhi government’s vigilance directorate recommended a probe into the alleged scam in 2022 and submitted a report to the chief secretary. In March this year, President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval for the registration of an FIR against Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.

The AAP has criticised the move, saying the case against its leaders was registered to “pressure and scare” them.

–IANS