CBI on Tuesday detained a senior senior IAS officer working for the Delhi government and his personal assistant for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.2 lakh from a manpower supplier.
Interestingly, the complaint against the accused Sanjay Pratap Singh, an IAS officer of the 1984 batch, was originally sent to the CBI by the chief minister’s office.
Singh was serving as the principal secretary in the department for welfare of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and minorities.
According to state government sources, he was put under surveillance two months ago after deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, reportedly raided his office and found his functioning suspicious.
A CBI spokesperson said, “The bribe was given to the principal secretary’s PA at his office. The PA went downstairs to deliver the bribe to the officer who was waiting in his vehicle when CBI sleuths nabbed them both in the act.”
The CBI move has also come only days after the city government passed anti-graft legislation known as Jan Lokpal Bill, which the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described as the ‘strongest’ in the country.
Not so long ago, Kejriwal had sacked his former food and supplies minister, Asim Khan, on live TV on graft charges. Fighting corruption was Aam Aadmi Party’s major poll promise during the assembly elections earlier this year.
Other reports suggested that an AAP volunteer had first approached Kejriwal to complain against Singh prompting the government to tip off CBI, which had put him under surveillance.
The agency has recovered Rs 2.2 lkah from Singh’s PA, Ramesh.
This move has elicited positive reactions for the government on social media.
Here are some of the tweets:
Zero tolerance to corruption…Thanu @AamAadmiParty for keeping our trUST….Thanku @ArvindKejriwal & @msisodia… pic.twitter.com/QRhYNmZw9E
— Nisha Chugh (@nishachugh1) December 8, 2015
Zero tolerance to corruption…Thanu @AamAadmiParty for keeping our trUST….Thanku @ArvindKejriwal & @msisodia… pic.twitter.com/QRhYNmZw9E
— Nisha Chugh (@nishachugh1) December 8, 2015
https://twitter.com/spandey2004/status/674273729359122432
https://twitter.com/AkshayMarathe/status/674296420527132672
Kejriwal defeats corruption by sacking his own PS.
Can Badals follow suit by Sacking minister Tota Singh??
— Dola Basu Singh (@shiuli_dola) December 9, 2015
Kejriwal defeats corruption because India can't afford Corrupt Governance anymore !@beingAAPian
— PRASHANT RAJPUT (@radical1184) December 9, 2015
Kejriwal defeats corruption because He is not blind in power like the rest !@beingAAPian
— PRASHANT RAJPUT (@radical1184) December 9, 2015
Delhi govt mein wo baat jo de bharashtachar ko maat Kejriwal defeats corruption @shiuli_dola @ipathak25
— Lalit (@AsvLalit) December 9, 2015
Kejriwal har kadam par apna promise poora karte hai
Apne hi officer ko kiya CBI supurd AK defeats corruption
— nikita 4AAP (@nikita4AAP) December 9, 2015