ACB may soon probe graft complaint against AAP

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) will now investigate a matter that concerns the very government of which it is a part. The move comes after the ACB received a graft complaint with regard to the app-based premium bus scheme that was to be rolled out by the Aam Aadmi Party government from Wednesday.

Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung-appointed ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena has ordered an inquiry into the genesis of the scheme on the basis of a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, a day after receiving it.

Mr. Gupta has alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government wanted to launch the scheme to “benefit a Gurgaon-based private bus aggregator”. A notification pertaining to the scheme was red-flagged by Mr. Jung last week on the ground that his approval had not been taken before its launch.

A senior Delhi government official said on condition of anonymity this was a conspiracy “hatched” to delay the roll-out of the unique initiative, under which people would have been able to book seats using their smart phones.

According to Mr. Gupta, media reports about the L-G’s office clarifying on May 28 that no “approval” was given for the service had formed the basis of his complaint.

In a rush

“It calls for a criminal probe into how the AAP government, under the signature of Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport), could misuse the Lt-Governor’s name in this manner,” Mr. Gupta said in his complaint, while adding that the AAP government “seems to be in extraordinary hurry to approve the Premium Bus Service Scheme and the procedure adopted leaves many questions unanswered.”

The entire scheme, Mr. Gupta claimed, had been “designed to favour one particular Gurgaon-based bus aggregator platform that was already illegally operating contract carriage buses in Delhi”. He also alleged that rules and regulations were “deliberately by-passed” and “smacked of mala fide intentions” of the decision-making authorities in the government.

The notification, signed by Delhi Transport Commissioner Sanjay Kumar, had created an impression that it was issued following approval from Mr. Jung who, however, later demanded the file pertaining to it from the Chief Minister’s Office before sending it back for a rethink.

Later, the L-G demanded an explanation from Mr. Kumar with regard to the notification even as he was understood to be seeking legal opinion on referring the case for a criminal probe.

A Delhi government official, however, maintained that it was ready to “battle it out” with the L-G’s office when it comes to allegations of graft and impropriety against it.

The complaint is with regard to the app- based premium bus scheme that the

AAP had proposed