Former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar was sent to Tihar Jail today. (File photo)
Delhi government's former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar, who was sent to Tihar Jail today after 5 days of severe interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, said his conscience is clear.
"I am not scared... truth will triumph," said the man who has been accused of being the kingpin of a Rs 50 crore scam involving kickbacks and landing of government contracts for proxy-owned companies.
The CBI, which alleged the official -- whom it had dramatically described as "Shesh Naag" -- had demanded five more days of custody. But the judge had refused, saying the matter should be taken up by the Special CBI court. In 24 hours, Mr Kumar will be brought back to the court, where the agency is expected to push for custody again.
On Friday, the agency had conducted raids at seven places which Mr Kumar had been linked to. It said it recovered Rs. 27 lakh from the west Delhi residence of Amit Goyal, Mr Kumar's chartered accountant, who was arrested by the CBI on Monday.
The agency said the money was bribe paid to Mr Kumar for favoring certain companies to award government contracts between 2007 and 2014.
During its raids, the agency also said it has recovered a software package worth Rs 3 crore from Delhi government's Trade and Tax Department office.
The agency claims one of the accused, Sandeep Kumar, had admitted that despite Endeavor Systems - allegedly set up as a front company by Mr Kumar -- being given the contract, the software was never used by the government.
The contract was awarded during Mr Kumar's tenure as a Commissioner in the Trade and Tax department.
When Mr Kumar allegedly scammed the government, the Congress was in power with Sheila Dikshit at the helm. Critics, including those from Mr Kejriwal's government, have asked why Congress leaders like her have not been questioned about the alleged graft.
The Delhi government has described Mr Kumar's arrest as an attempt by the Centre "to paralyze the Chief Minister's office". "Mr Modi, even if you only leave us with just peons, we will run the government with them," a furious Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said.