The Union Home Ministry has given nod to the Delhi government’s Vigilance Department for an investigation against former ministers and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain over the alleged irregularities in the execution of healthcare infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore. The AAP, however, has rejected the claims of corruption, saying that project delays are being “weaponised” by the ruling party.
The inquiry has been cleared under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (Poc) Act, 1988. About a month ago, the Vigilance Department had launched an investigation into the matter, and sought the Centre’s approval to run a deeper probe.
Initially, the ACB, which reports to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, began a probe after receiving a complaint from BJP leader Vijender Gupta in August 2024. At the time, Gupta, who is now the Delhi Assembly Speaker, was serving as the Leader of the Opposition, while the AAP was in power in the Capital. In his complaint, Gupta had alleged that both former ministers were complicit in financial misconduct within the Health Department. He accused them of enabling rampant corruption through deliberate delays and inflated costs.
According to Gupta’s complaint, a total of 24 hospital projects sanctioned during the tenure of the AAP government at an estimated cost of Rs 5,590 crore allegedly saw astronomical cost overruns and remained incomplete years after their scheduled deadlines, suggesting large-scale fund diversion.
Among the cases cited in his complaint were seven ICU hospitals with a combined bed capacity of 6,800. Sanctioned in September 2021 for Rs 1,125 crore and scheduled for completion within six months, these hospitals were only 50% complete nearly three years later, as per the complaint.
As per the allegations, a total of Rs 800 crore was spent, and the cost for constructing LNJP Hospital’s new block, initially approved at Rs 465.52 crore, ballooned to Rs. 1,125 crore.
A polyclinic expansion project saw only 52 out of 94 planned clinics built, while its sanctioned budget increased from Rs 168.52 crore to Rs. 220 crore.
Story continues below this ad
Gupta alleged that both the AAP leaders repeatedly rejected cost-effective alternatives, raising suspicion about “vested interests”.
Following a prima facie review, the ACB concluded that there were patterns of cost inflation, misallocation of funds, rejection of economical solutions, and the creation of idle assets. These, it said, indicate serious lapses and corrupt practices that reportedly have led to substantial losses to the government exchequer.
After receiving Gupta’s complaint, the ACB had referred the matter to the Delhi government’s Vigilance Department under Section 17A of the PoC Act, which had sought comments from the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Public Works Department. While the Health Department did not object to a probe, the PWD recommended a full-fledged vigilance inquiry to identify the scale of the alleged irregularities and fix responsibility.
The Vigilance Department, after examining all inputs, has submitted its findings to the Raj Niwas. In its note, it cited delays due to specification changes after project sanction, poor planning, inaccurate cost estimation, and an escalation of costs. It also flagged the possibility of hidden facts and unaccounted evidence, stating that these require a deeper investigation.
Story continues below this ad
Responding to the accusation, the AAP said that project delays can’t be called corruption. “The Bullet Train project is delayed by 10 years, will it be investigated as a case of corruption?…53% projects of Central Govt see delay of more than three years and cost escalation, will CBI register corruption cases against Central Ministers?” the party asked in its statement to the press. The BJP and the L-G have turned governance into a “laughing stock” by “weaponising” routine project delays as alleged corruption, said the party.
Meanwhile, Bharadwaj said that any of the projects mentioned in the complaint were not approved during his tenure. “The hospital’s construction sanctions were given in 2017-18 and 2021. The estimates were also approved at the same time. I became the Health Minister in 2023. After I became the Health Minister, no file related to the cost or revised estimates of the hospital project construction ever came to me nor did I ever give any approval for any cost escalations,” he said.