'Confession' won't be enough for CBI to pin down Rajendra Kumar

On July 4, the Central Bureau of Investigation shook the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government by arresting one of the senior most bureaucrat and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's private secretary Rajendra Kumar.

Three days after the arrest of the senior bureaucrat and four others, Ashok Kumar, a close aide of Rajendra Kumar admitted to have received bribes and his overall role in the entire scam.

The development comes almost seven months after the agency had conducted its first raid at the offices of Kumar triggering a confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Centre in December last year which was followed by registering of a corruption case against Kumar, search operations and multiple rounds of questioning. The question now remains is whether the alleged confession of Ashok Kumar would be enough for CBI.

While CBI maintains that arrests of Kumar and four others took place only after quid pro quo evidence of corruption against the senior bureaucrat emerged, sources in the probe agency revealed that the move to arrest Kumar was made only after the agency received multiple complaints claiming that Kumar had been threatening 'witnesses' important to the probe.

Infact CBI have set this to be the main premise behind Kumar's arrest. Documents submitted to the court overlooking Kumar's case go on to say, "The accused persons are threatening the witnesses of the various department of the GNCT of Delhi and pressurising them not to co-operate in the investigation and thus impeding the course of fair investigation. Therefore their custodial interrogation is essential".

Official sources told dna that CBI in now in possession of written statements under section 164 of certain individuals who had either worked with the bureaucrat in the past or are his current colleagues. These individuals, according to agency sources, had approached CBI and claimed that Kumar in an attempt to derail the probe against him, had been pressurising them into not cooperating with the investigators.

"The witness's are from different departments where one of the accused was posted during his various stints in the Delhi government, "said a CBI official adding that investigators were in possession of correspondences of Kumar wherein he is making threats. "When investigators were convinced that evidence and witness's were under threat, agency was left with no option but to move against Mr Kumar,"the source claimed without delving on the identities of these 'witnesses'.

While the role of each of the five arrested accused in the case has been elaborated by the probe agency it is Kumar's role which seems to hit a dead end. These witnesses for now seem to be the most important part of a case against Kumar which includes allegations that Kumar illegally facilitated and promoted Endeavour System Pvt Ltd .

The agency also goes on to say that Endeavour Systems is actually a front company floated by Kumar only established to profit from tailor made tenders of supplying new technologies to Delhi government since 2006. Among other allegations against Kumar is favouring private persons who in turn were Kumar close associates since a long time. The probe agency is now hopeful that more light on the case could be thrown only after Kumar spends time in police custody and findings on Kumar are solidified.

While Kumar was officially suspended from his post, owing to the fact that an official cannot hold his position if he/she spends 48 hours in custody, the five-day custody that the CBI has of Kumar and associates could make or break the case.

Feat factor for officers' association

Meanwhile, A Anbarasu, secretary of the AGMUT cadre IAS Officers' Association, said the association is collecting details of the case and have informally discussed about it. "We will decide about the next course of action in a day or two," said Anbarasu. Senior bureaucrats however said the association was actually unsure about taking up the case fearing political retaliation.