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Three FIRs to probe corruption charges against CM Kejriwal

The ACB, in its status report, also informed Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra that the probe is continuing and that they will file a detailed report later. The agency said separate FIRs were registered by it on its own on May 8.

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Arvind Kejriwal
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The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Friday submitted a status report of an alleged scam pertaining to the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) to a district court stating that it has registered three separate FIRs on criminal complaints against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some PWD officials. The probe agency also questioned four PWD officials in connection with graft allegations, sources said.

The court was hearing a complaint filed by Rahul Sharma, founder of the Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), seeking a direction to the police to file an FIR against Kejriwal, his brother-in-law the late Surender Bansal, a construction firm proprietor, and a government official for alleged irregularities in granting contracts for roads and sewer lines. Bansal died last month. The three companies named include Bansal's Renu Constructions and firms owned by Kamal Singh and Pawan Kumar.

The ACB, in its status report, also informed Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra that the probe is continuing and that they will file a detailed report later. The agency said separate FIRs were registered by it on its own on May 8.

During the proceedings on Friday, the court said it would also decide on the next date of hearing as to whether it has jurisdiction to continue with the matter as the FIR has already been lodged by the ACB under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Cases pertaining to the ACB and under the Prevention of Corruption Act are tried by a special court. Sources in the PWD said that one of the construction company involved in this case, at the time of tender, had quoted a rate which was abnormally low.

"The tender was awarded to a company that quoted a price which was 40-45 per cent below the estimated rate. Such rate could only have been quoted if a person is already aware about the estimated cost," said a PWD official requesting anonymity.

The complaint has alleged a "deep-rooted corruption" and said the documents showed no material was actually purchased for executing the projects. It has alleged that documents showing purchase of material were "concocted and forged", and a loss of over Rs 10 crore had been caused to the public exchequer.

The complainant has alleged that Bansal operated through several dummy firms to obtain government contracts with the connivance of several senior PWD officials. "These contracts never got executed "whereas shockingly all the payments were cleared under pressure from Kejriwal," Sharma had alleged.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra directed the ACB Assistant Commissioner to reassess the threat perception on complainant Rahul Sharma. On Friday, Sharma told the court that two unknown men recently fired at him from a motorcycle. The court said the FIR filed in connection with the attack on Sharma shows he faces a serious threat. It told the ACB to file a status report on June 8.

The court had earlier also directed the probe agency to assess the threat perception and the ACB had concluded that there was no threat at that time. The magistrate said witness protection was such a serious issue, not only in this case but in general.

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