Bamnoli Land Acquisition: Atishi Submits Fresh Report To CM Kejriwal, Seeks Chief Secretary's Suspension

The matter pertains to alleged corruption in acquisition of 19 acres of land in southwest Delhi's Bamnoli village.

Delhi minister Atishi

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi on Wednesday submitted a supplementary report to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on corruption allegations against Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, claiming the bureaucrat tried to save an official in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter, government sources said.

In the fresh report, Atishi reiterated her recommendation for suspension of the chief secretary, they said.

There was no immediate response from the chief secretary on the supplementary report.

He had earlier denied any wrongdoing and alleged that people with "vested interests" against whom vigilance action was taken for corruption were indulging in "mud-slinging".

The matter pertains to alleged corruption in acquisition of 19 acres of land in southwest Delhi's Bamnoli village.

In her first report submitted to Kejriwal, Atishi had alleged "prima facie complicity" of the chief secretary in the land acquisition matter. The compensation for the 19-acre land was hiked from Rs 41 crore to Rs 353 crore by former southwest Delhi district magistrate Hemant Kumar, according to the report.

In the supplementary report, Atishi alleged that "the chief secretary made all the efforts to save the DM. A paper chase was going on and despite the facts, the district magistrate was not suspended".

In her initial report, Atishi alleged that the chief secretary's son, an employee of a company of the land owner's relative, benefitted in the Bamnoli land acquisition.

The land was acquired for the Dwarka expressway by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2018 and the compensation was increased in May this year.

The revised compensation of Rs 353 crore was recently set aside by the Delhi High Court.

Atishi's first report also recommended that the matter be referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the chief secretary be suspended till the completion of probe.

The minister's first report was sent to Lieutenant General V K Saxena by Kejriwal. The LG, however, did not consider it, saying it was based on "preconceived assumptions" while pointing out that a CBI probe was already underway in the matter. 

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)