President Droupadi Murmu has granted Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) approval to formally investigate Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and former Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over alleged irregularities in the construction of school rooms and buildings, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.
The sanction was sought under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which mandates prior approval for investigations against public officials. The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) conveyed the President’s decision to ACB on March 11, the people cited above said.
Sisodia was the education minister while Jain was PWD minister in Delhi government when the alleged irregularities took place.
Section 17A, inserted in the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Centre in July 2018 through an amendment, makes it mandatory for police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any investigative agency dealing with corruption offences to seek prior approval for conducting any “enquiry” or “inquiry” or “investigation” into any corruption-related offences against public officials.
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The probe stems from a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Harish Khurana, Kapil Mishra, and Neelkanth Bakshi, alleging irregularities amounting to ₹2,000 crore in constructing 12,748 school rooms at “inflated costs”, according to ACB’s 17A sanction request, a copy of which has been seen by HT.
“The scam involves construction of around 12,748 school rooms at a very high and inflated construction cost. The total cost incurred for constructing the school rooms/buildings is around ₹2,892.65 crore,” the document states.
The agency argued that Sisodia, then education minister, and Jain, then PWD minister, either masterminded the scheme or failed to act despite grossly inflated costs. The complaint also alleges rule violations, including premature payments and non-compliance with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines.
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Sisodia is already under investigation over alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case, while Jain faces a disproportionate assets probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Both AAP leaders have denied any wrongdoing and have dismissed the cases as political vendetta.
“It has come to my attention that the central government has filed an FIR against me and Satyendar Jain regarding the construction of school buildings and classrooms. I want to tell the BJP and the central government — file as many cases as you want. Whether it is against me, Satyendar Jain, Atishi, Arvind Kejriwal, or any other AAP leader, we will not bow down,” Sisodia said on Thursday, adding, “But first, answer this: Tomorrow is Holi—where are the free cylinders you promised to Delhi’s families?”
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said: “The BJP has no intention of fulfilling its promises to Delhi. They only want to target political rivals and suppress opposition,” he said, adding that the approval process was merely procedural.
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