PWD contracts case: Report on threat to complainant sought

A special court on Wednesday directed the AntiCorruption Branch (ACB) to file a report regarding threats reportedly received by a man who filed a complaint accusing chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others for alleged irregularities in the grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines.

Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry directed the ACB’s additional commissioner of police to file the report on July 31, the next date of hearing.

The court was hearing a complaint filed by Rahul Sharma, founder of NGO Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), seeking a direction to police to lodge an FIR against Kejriwal, his brother-in-law Surender Bansal, who is the proprietor of a construction firm and a public servant, in the alleged Public Works Department (PWD) scam. Bansal has since passed away.

The complainant has alleged that Bansal operated through several dummy firms to obtain government contracts with the connivance of several senior PWD officials. He has further alleged in his complaint that documents showing purchase of material were “concocted and forged”, causing a huge loss to the public exchequer.

The case was transferred from a magistrate court to the special judge by the order of district judge, as cases pertaining to the ACB and under the Prevention of Corruption Act are tried by special courts.

The ACB registered three separate FIRs on its own on May 8 regarding alleged irregularities in granting the contracts.