Delhi Govt Refers Atishi's Report Seeking Removal Of Chief Secretary To ED, CBI: Report

The Delhi government has referred to ED and CBI the report by vigilance minister Atishi that has recommended suspension of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar in Bamnoli land acquisition case.

The Delhi government has referred the report by the vigilance minister in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter to the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, reported PTI quoting government sources. 

The report has alleged "prima facie complicity" of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter. The allegation has been denied by Kumar who said that “misjudging” was being done by people with "vested interests" against whom vigilance action was taken for corruption.

The 670-page report by vigilance minister Atishi was earlier submitted to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The report has recommended to suspend Kumar and claimed that the scale of "undue benefits" in the matter was more than Rs 897 crore.

According to the PTI report, the report was referred to the central agencies after the chief minister gave a nod for the same. 

As per the vigilance minister’s report, Kumar was involved in enhancing an “exorbitant compensation award” for a parcel of land in Southwest Delhi’s Bamnoli village acquired for the Dwarka Expressway, to provide illicit profits to a company linked to Naresh Kumar's son. 

The report has also claimed that "connections and the chronology give the prima facie appearance of complicity" of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar along with Southwest District Magistrate Hemant Kumar and landowners in the land acquisition on the Dwarka Expressway.

The vigilance department has also made a mention of a conspiracy by senior officers of Delhi's Vigilance Department including Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to undervalue the scale of the scam as Rs 312 Crore when the actual compensation award would have resulted in an illicit gain of Rs 850 Crore to the beneficiaries, as per an ANI report. 

According to a PTI report, the original price of the 19 acres of land in Bamnoli was allegedly raised to Rs 353 crore in May this year from Rs 41 crore by the then DM Hemant Kumar.