Satyendar Jain appears before ACB in connection with classroom scam

Former AAP minister Satyendar Jain on Friday appeared before the anti corruption branch in connection with the alleged Rs 2,000 crore graft case in the construction of classrooms in government schools during the Arvind Kejriwal tenure.

Jain was summoned after an FIR was registered on April 30 against him and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia 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.

Advertisement

Notably, Sisodia is also likely to appear before the anti corruption branch (ACB) on June 9, as per the anti corruption agency sources.

Before leaving for the ACB office, Jain had asserted that the previous AAP government in the national capital worked towards improving the city’s education, while the current BJP government was only doing politics.

“First, tell me, where did the word scam come from? They (BJP) do not want to work and are aiding private schools in increasing fees. Manish Sisodia did excellent work in schools. He has been summoned. I have been summoned. These are all tactics to divert attention,” he said.

“BJP used to say that dogs are roaming in the streets, but we will clean the roads. Now they should get these things done, but they are only indulging in politics,” he added.

As per the FIR, Jain and Sisodia were booked under Section 13 (1) of Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act after receiving complaints from Harish Khurana, Kapil Mishra, and Neelkanth Bakshi.

The complainants alleged that the construction of the 12,748 school classrooms was done at the cost of 2,892 crore, which comes to approximately Rs 24.86 lakh per classroom, whereas such rooms in Delhi could be constructed for Rs 5 lakh.

Moreover, it was alleged that the majority of the 34 contractors who were awarded the project were associated with the AAP.