File Photo: Delhi Secretariat
A prosecutor, who had scrutinized the charge sheet in the Rs 100-crore transport scam, has accused Rajendra Kumar, principal secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, of pressurising him not to finalise the report or face suspension.
In his letter to Joint Commissioner of Police of Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) MK Meena, prosecutor Vinod Kumar Sharma said he was called by some senior officials of Delhi secretariat, including Rajendra Kumar, and pressurised by them to bring before them the file of the charge sheet before finalising it.
Recently, Mr Rajendra Kumar and other top officials in Transport Department were summoned by Delhi government's ACB in connection with the scam.
The ACB had yesterday filed its charge sheet in a Delhi court naming nine persons, including two IAS officers, as accused in the case. Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry has fixed September 26 for consideration on the charge sheet.
Seeking his withdrawal from the case, the prosecutor said he was unable to bear the pressure put on him and do justice with the case and alleged that Delhi Government was trying to delay the matter.
Mr Sharma, in his letter to Mr Meena, said "It is respectfully submitted that scrutiny of challan (charge sheet) of the case .... was done by me on September 1. Today (September 2) I was called by some senior officials of Delhi Secretariat. I was pressurised by them, who are alleged (suspect) in the case, i.e. Rajendra Kumar, secretary to CM of Delhi".
"They directed me to produce the file before them before finalisation," Mr Sharma said, claiming he was threatened to be suspended if he did not obey the orders of the officials.
"I am a sick person of high blood pressure, I am unable to bear pressure and to do justice in the case. I may be allowed to withdraw myself from the case," the prosecutor said in the letter. His prayer is yet to be accepted.
Rajendra Kumar was summoned by ACB headed by Lt Governor appointed MK Meena in the scam as he too had headed the transport department earlier.
Meanwhile, prosecutor BS Joon filed a notification in the court and informed it that he has been appointed as Special Public Prosecutor in this case.
The case was registered by ACB pursuant to a complaint by RTI activist Vivek Garg alleging that the contract for lane test of commercial vehicles before grant of fitness certificates was granted by the Delhi government to ESP India without inviting any tender in 2002 and necessary tests were not being conducted by the company.
Mr Garg had sought registration of FIR against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, former Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Transport Commissioner RK Verma and ESP India.
ACB, however, had given a clean chit to Ms Dikshit and Mr Lovely, saying no irregularity was found on their part.
In the chargesheet, ACB has named India-based director of ESP USA, Nitin Manawat, Puran Chand Tamta, CEO of Tambros India Ltd, an alliance partner of ESP India, Joginder Sharma, a former Deputy Commissioner posted at Vehicle Inspection Unit (VIU) at Burari, transport officials MA Usmani, VK Gupta and Ashok Gupta. These persons were earlier arrested by the ACB in 2013 and are not out on bail.
It also chargesheeted two IAS officers - former transport commissioners RK Verma and R Chandramohan - and JP Sharma in the case. While MA Usmani, Ashok Gupta are retired deputy commissioners (transport), VK Gupta is retired retired joint commisioner (transport).
The charge sheet was filed for offences punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC, including sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
ACB had arrested several persons including Manawat and Tamta for allegedly floating a fake firm, ESP India.
Apart from Mr Rajendra, the ACB had also issued summons to about a dozen senior officers in connection with the scam.
Among the officers summoned were former Transport commissioner Virender Kumar, former additional transport commissioner S M Ali, deputy commissioners D R Arora and R P Gupta, motor licensing officers Ajay Sanal, Magan Singh, Subhash Chand, Ramanathan and motor vehicle inspectors Maharaj Singh and Jagdish Prasad and PCO Vikas Jain.