DJB case: Delhi court directs ED to provide chargesheet copy to accused individuals

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) A Delhi court on Thursday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to furnish a copy of the chargesheet to the accused in connection with the probe into the money laundering case pertaining to the alleged irregularities in the tender awards by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The ED in its chargesheet filed at a court here has said that over Rs 2 crore was transferred for election funding of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

According to sources, those named in the chargesheet are former DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora, contractor Anil Kumar Agarwal, former NBCC general manager D.K. Mittal, one Tejinder Singh, and NKG Infrastructure Limited, whose director has passed away and has not been named an accused in the case.

Two accused -- Jagdish Arora and Anil Aggarwal, who are presently in judicial custody -- were presented before the court by the authorities following directives issued by the court on Wednesday.

Moreover, Tejinder Singh, another accused named in the case, appeared before the court in response to summons issued earlier.

Meanwhile, the fourth accused, D.K. Mittal, former NBCC general manager, filed an application seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day.

The court, scheduling the next hearing for April 20, has put up the matter for the scrutiny of documents related to the case.

The case pertains to alleged corruption in tendering of flow metre procurement.

"Investigation revealed that the remaining proceeds of crime (bribe) to the tune of Rs 2,00,78,242 which had been acquired by Jagdish Kumar Arora, was transferred by him through Tajinder Pal Singh to various persons including other officers of Delhi Jal Board. The investigation also revealed that Jagdish Kumar Arora and other officers of Delhi Jal Board further transferred part of the said proceeds of crime for election funding of the AAP," the chargesheet, accessed by IANS, read.

It further stated that the investigation into the roles of Jagdish Kumar Arora, Anil Kumar Aggarwal, Davinder Kumar Mittal, Tajinder Pal Singh and NKG Infrastructure Ltd in the offence of money laundering and proceeds of crime utilised by them is complete, but the probe with respect to final utilisation of the proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 2,00,78,242, which was transferred to various persons including officers of Delhi Jal Board and for election funding of AAP, is underway.

Initially, the CBI had filed an FIR in December 2021 implicating Jagdish Kumar Arora (then Chief Engineer at DJB) in conspiracy with NKG Infrastructure Ltd. to secure a Rs 38 crore contract in 2018 for the supply, installation testing, and commissioning (SITC) of electromagnetic flow metres.

According to a CBI FIR filed in 2022, it has been alleged that despite complaints about NKG Infrastructure's non-compliance with contract eligibility criteria, the contract worth approximately Rs 38 crore was awarded to them.

The FIR claims that Arora, along with three subordinates, conspired to issue false certificates to NKG Infrastructure.

In July 2022, the CBI booked Arora and others under various sections, including criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The ED also filed a case in September 2022 and later also conducted raids.

In January this year, Jagdish Arora and Anil Kumar Aggarwal were arrested by the ED for alleged bribery related to the contract.

Aggarwal is accused of transferring Rs 3 crore in bribes to Arora's relatives and associates.

--IANS

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