New Delhi [India], June 6: Former Delhi Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain appeared at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) office on Friday following a summons related to a massive corruption case involving classroom construction in Delhi government schools.
Jain strongly criticized the BJP-led Delhi administration, accusing them of diverting attention from governance failures. “They’ve done nothing for the past 3-4 months, hiked school fees, and are summoning those who transformed Delhi’s school infrastructure,” Jain said, naming himself and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.
The case concerns alleged irregularities worth over Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of around 12,748 semi-permanent classrooms. According to ACB officials, the cost per classroom was pegged at approximately Rs 24.86 lakh—nearly five times the then-market rate of Rs five lakh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (ACB), Shweta Singh Chauhan, confirmed that a complaint had been filed by BJP leaders Harish Khurana, Kapil Mishra, and Neelkanth Bakshi, alleging cost inflation, rule violations, and favoritism in awarding contracts. The ACB claims 34 contractors, many allegedly linked to AAP, were involved.
Madhur Verma, ACB chief, revealed that an enquiry found none of the projects were completed on time, despite directives from the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) to wrap up construction by June 2016 without any cost escalations.
A 2020 Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report, kept under wraps for nearly three years, revealed major violations of the CPWD Works Manual, General Financial Rules, and CVC guidelines. The report stated that the cost of the semi-permanent structures nearly matched that of permanent schools—Rs 2,292 per sq ft versus Rs 2,044–Rs 2,416 per sq ft for pucca buildings—defeating the cost-saving purpose.
The probe also found that no fresh tenders were floated when specifications were changed, and in five schools, work worth Rs 42.5 crore was done without tenders under existing contracts. Revised specifications led to an additional expenditure of Rs 326.25 crore, including Rs 205.45 crore purely from richer specifications.
On these grounds, the ACB sought and obtained permission under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to initiate action against Jain and Sisodia. An FIR has been registered, and a detailed investigation is underway to determine the role of all involved parties, including government officials and contractors.