ACB gets nod to probe former Delhi ministers in hospital projects scam

The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has received formal clearance to initiate an investigation against former Delhi Health Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged corruption and mismanagement in multi-crore hospital infrastructure projects. The approval came on May 6 following a recommendation by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

The inquiry is based on a complaint filed by BJP leader Vijender Gupta on August 22, 2024, alleging large-scale financial irregularities and procedural lapses during the tenure of the AAP leaders. Gupta claimed that both ministers were involved in massive delays and inflated costs in multiple health sector projects.

According to official data, between 2018 and 2019, the Delhi government sanctioned Rs 5,590 crore for 24 hospital projects, including 11 new (greenfield) and 13 renovation (brownfield) projects. However, the projects witnessed significant cost escalations and prolonged delays. Another Rs 1,125 crore was sanctioned for seven ICU hospitals with a capacity of 6,800 beds. Despite this, only 50 per cent of the work has been completed after three years, while Rs 800 crore has already been spent.

Among the projects now under scrutiny is the expansion of LNJP Hospital, where the cost reportedly rose from Rs 465.52 crore to Rs 1,125 crore within four years. Similarly, a Rs 168 crore polyclinic project for 94 centres saw only 52 polyclinics constructed at an escalated cost of Rs 220 crore.

Responding to the investigation, the Aam Aadmi Party has sharply criticised the move, calling it a politically motivated attack driven by the BJP and its appointees. In a statement, AAP said the Lieutenant Governor and the BJP were attempting to label routine delays as corruption to discredit their government.

The party questioned the logic of initiating a probe against Satyendar Jain, claiming he had no role in the said projects. “If this is the yardstick, then several Union Ministers should face CBI probes every week,” the party stated, while pointing to delays and massive cost overruns in Central government projects.

Citing government data, the party said as of March 2023, over 56.3 per cent of Union Government projects monitored by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) were delayed, with average overruns of over three years. It also highlighted the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train project — sanctioned in 2015 and now delayed by nearly a decade — whose cost has surged by 85 per cent from Rs 1.08 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore. The party questioned whether such delays by the Centre would also attract corruption investigations.

“As per Central Government data, common causes for delays in projects include delayed regulatory approvals, land acquisition issues, financial constraints, contractor non-performance, environmental clearances and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Can corruption cases be registered against Ministers for these reasons?” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the move, saying the probe would expose the corruption that took place under AAP’s health leadership. Between 2015 and 2024, scams involving the construction of Mohalla Clinics, hospital testing contracts, hiring of contract health workers and hospital upgrades have all been brushed under the carpet, he said.

Sachdeva alleged that while the Kejriwal government was busy showcasing its “world-class” health model, public money was being siphoned off.

“Today, when both former ministers failed to even retain their security deposit in the elections, it shows the public has delivered its verdict,” he added.