New Delhi: Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi on Tuesday recommended the immediate removal of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with an alleged land scam.
Atishi submitted a 670-page preliminary report on the alleged involvement of the Chief Secretary 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, Karan Chauhan, ANI reported citing sources.
The report alleges that "connections and the chronology give the prima facie appearance of complicity" of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar with DM Southwest Hemant Kumar and landowners in the land acquisition on the Dwarka Expressway.
The report also unveils 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, ANI reported.
According to PTI, the original award of the 19-acre land at Bamnoli was allegedly raised from Rs 41 crore to Rs 353 crore in May this year by the then DM Hemant Kumar.
Minister Atishi has recommended an ED probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 into the matter and also recommended Disciplinary proceedings against Naresh Kumar and Ashwani Kumar (Divisional Commissioner), sources told ANI.
The Vigilance Minister in her Preliminary Report also recommended the immediate removal of Naresh Kumar and Ashwani Kumar from their respective posts so that they do not influence the probe, sources said further.
Meanwhile, Ashwani Kumar, Delhi Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue)/Divisional Commissioner on Monday said that the allegations against the Delhi Chief Secretary are "false and baseless".