Former AAP ministers Jain, Bharadwaj booked for ‘corruption’ in health projects

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi has registered a case against former Delhi Health Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged corruption in multiple health infrastructure projects sanctioned by the government between 2018 and 2019.

The case, filed under FIR No. 37/2025, invokes Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act along with IPC Sections 409, 420, and 120-B. It comes after the ACB secured approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the competent authority. The case also names unknown government officials and private contractors who allegedly colluded in misappropriating public funds.

The case stems from a detailed complaint submitted on August 22, 2024, by former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta. The complaint alleged manipulation of project budgets, misuse of funds and irregularities in contract execution. Gupta alleged that 24 hospital projects were sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5,590 crore during 2018–19, but none were completed on time and all suffered massive cost overruns.

The ICU hospital project involving seven facilities with a combined 6,800 beds and a sanctioned cost of Rs 1,125 crore is also under scrutiny. As per reports, nearly Rs 800 crore has already been spent, but only half the work has been completed in three years, despite an six-month deadline.

The ACB said unauthorised additional construction was carried out at Jwalapuri and Madipur hospitals by private contractors M/s Parnika Commercial & Estate Pvt Ltd and M/s Ramacivil India Construction Pvt Ltd, respectively. Both projects have seen severe delays, with the Madipur site reportedly abandoned and incomplete even past its November 2022 deadline.

Similarly, the new block at LNJP Hospital, assigned to M/s Swadeshi Civil Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, saw its estimated cost increase from Rs 488 crore to Rs 1,135 crore over four years, with work still pending despite a January 2023 deadline. The seven ICU hospitals handled by M/s SAM India Buildwell Pvt Ltd reportedly experienced cost escalations exceeding 100%.

The investigation also uncovered irregularities in a Rs 168 crore polyclinic project intended to deliver 94 facilities, of which 52 were built. The cost, meanwhile, jumped to Rs 220 crore and many of the clinics remain non-functional.

Furthermore, the complaint flagged the failure to implement the Health Information Management System (HIMS) despite being announced in 2016–17. According to officials, multiple violations of tender conditions, financial rules, and project execution protocols were observed across projects, pointing to deliberate delays, inflated budgets, and the creation of idle public assets.