Lt Governor VK Saxena has referred to the Delhi Assembly Speaker a Vigilance Directorate request for prosecution sanction in a case against AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, officials said on Tuesday.
No immediate reaction was available from the AAP or Tripathi on the development.
Tripathi, the AAP's Model Town MLA, is accused of demanding Rs 90 lakh from a woman to allegedly secure her a party ticket for last year's Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls, the officials said.
Acting on a complaint by the woman's husband, the Anti Corruption Branch registered a case against Tripathi and his acquaintances under the Prevention of Corruption Act in November, they added.
"The Lt Governor has referred the request of the Vigilance Directorate to prosecute AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi to the Speaker of Delhi Assembly (Ram Niwas Goel)," an official at the L-G Office said.
Three people, including a relative of the MLA and his personal assistant, were arrested on November 16 in the matter.
The MLA's personal assistant was arrested from the complainant's residence where he had allegedly gone to return the "bribe money" after the woman did not get the AAP ticket to contest the MCD polls from the Kamla Nagar ward, the officials said.
"The Vigilance Directorate has found that the evidence -- both human and technical -- strongly indicated serious complicity of the MLA and other persons in the case," they added.
Saxena, while referring the matter to Goel, noted that the speaker is the competent authority to grant prosecution sanction in the case as the accused is a sitting MLA.
The Supreme Court judgment in the PV Narasimha Rao versus CBI (1998) case also held that the speaker's sanction is needed for prosecution of MPs and MLAs for offences made under the Prevention of Corruption Act as they are public servants for the purpose of the law, the officials added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
ISRO Preps US Launch Of Advanced Satellite For Enabling In-Flight Internet
Shashi Tharoor's Rare Praise For "Conscientious" Delhi Lt Governor Amid Delhi's Water Crisis, Lt Governor Dials Haryana Chief Minister AAP Minister Seeks Emergency Meet With Delhi Lt Governor Over Water Crisis Diljit Dosanjh Calls For 'Dry Movement' After 'Can't Promote Alcohol' Notice 2 Women Try To Save Friend From Drowning In Swimming Pool, All Of Them Die Delhi Wakes Up To Season's Worst Air Quality, Visibility Drops To 150 Metres Iran's Ali Khamenei Seen Meeting Envoy Amid Reports He Is In Coma Days After "Make America Healthy Again" Vow, Trump, RFK Jr Eat McDonald's NRRMS Recruitment 2024: Registration Begins For Multiple Posts, Check Details Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.