Enforcement Directorate files first chargesheet in Delhi Jal Board case; check details

In February, the agency conducted raids on the premises of Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP and treasurer ND Gupta, former DJB member Shalabh Kumar, chartered accountant Pankaj Mangal, and others as part of the investigation.

In a recent development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has lodged a chargesheet in a money-laundering case associated with purported irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), as per official sources. The ED has alleged discrepancies in a contract issued by the Jal Board, contending that the illegal funds generated from corrupt practices in the contract issuance were funneled as election finances to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi.

The initial chargesheet, presented before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi, lists four individuals and a company as the accused: former DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora, contractor Anil Kumar Agarwal, former NBCC general manager DK Mittal, one Tejinder Singh, and NKG Infrastructure Limited.

Although the agency summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the matter, he did not appear for the deposition.

Currently, Arvind Kejriwal is in Enforcement Directorate custody since March 21 in the excise policy case.

In February, the agency conducted raids on the premises of Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP and treasurer ND Gupta, former DJB member Shalabh Kumar, chartered accountant Pankaj Mangal, and others as part of the investigation.

The Enforcement Directorate's case comes from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), implicating Jagdish Arora for providing a DJB contract to NKG Infrastructure Limited valued at Rs 38 crore, despite the company's failure to meet technical eligibility criteria. Arora and Agarwal were detained by the agency in January.

According to the agency, NKG Infrastructure Limited clinched the contract through submission of "forged" documents, with Arora being fully cognizant of the company's technical inadequacies.

Arora, as per the probe agency's allegations, received bribes in both cash and through bank transactions following the contract's award to NKG Infrastructure Limited.

It is further contended that he transferred these funds to various individuals overseeing DJB affairs, including those associated with the AAP, with portions of these bribes being camouflaged as election funds for the party, asserts the Enforcement Directorate.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government and AAP leaders have rebuffed the allegations, denouncing them as politically motivated.