Three FIRs filed to probe alleged graft in govt contracts: ACB

The Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) today told a Delhi court that it has lodged three FIRs in connection with a complaint of alleged irregularities against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines here.
The ACB, in its status report, also informed Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra that the probe is on and they will file a detailed report later.
The agency said separate FIRs were registered by it on its own on May 8.
During the hearing, the court also directed the additional commissioner of the ACB to assess the threat perception with regard to the complainant Rahul Sharma once again after he submitted that on May 30 two unidentified persons on a motorcycle fired gun shots at him when he was travelling in his car along with a cousin.

He also showed to the court a CCTV video clipping purportedly of the incident.
His advocate told the court that an FIR for the offence of attempt to murder was lodged at a police station in Gautam Budh Nagar.

The court said, "The FIR showed there are serious threats to the security of the complainant. The additional commissioner of the ACB is directed to assess the threat perception with regard to the complainant once again and 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.
The court also advised the complainant to be cautious about his movements till an assessment is made by the police about his threat perception.
The court was hearing a complaint filed by Sharma, founder of Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), seeking a direction to the police to lodge an FIR against Kejriwal, his brother-in-law Surender Bansal, proprietor of a construction firm, and a public servant for alleged irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines in Delhi.
Bansal died last month.

During the proceedings, 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.
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", he has alleged.