CBI unearths documents in Jain’s name during raid in an unrelated bribery case
NEW DELHI: Trouble seems to be mounting for Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain after the CBI on Sunday recovered documents of alleged properties, bank deposits and cheque books in the name of the minister and his family members during the follow-up search of a locker in an unrelated bribery case. The CBI on Sunday also arrested a registrar and an advocate of Delhi Dental Council (DDC) in the case.
While repeated calls and messages to the minister went unanswered, the Delhi government spokesperson termed it as yet another effort to malign Jain’s image. He added that the minister has nothing to do, even remotely, with the registrar in question.
“Till date, the BJP has miserably failed in digging out anything against Jain. The BJP’S Central government has been pulled up by the high court many times in cases registered by it against Jain. This is a fresh BJP conspiracy. Jain himself had handed over the papers — now planted by the CBI — to the investigating agency twice. Also, he’d declared these details many times in his IT returns. What is new in these papers? The Central government is trying to malign Jain’s image,” said the spokesperson.
This is not Jain’s first brush with the CBI. The agency is also probing cases of alleged irregularities in appointment of his daughter and an officer on special duty in the health department. In both the cases, Jain has formally not been named as a suspect or an accused. The CBI is also probing a separate case of amassing disproportionate assets, wherein Jain and his wife are named as accused.
A CBI spokesperson said some documents recovered from the locker of Delhi Dental Council registrar Rishi Raj are related to three properties, which are allegedly owned by Jain.
“Two of the sale deeds recovered are original. This raises question as to how the original documents reached the locker of the registrar. And, more importantly, it is a chance recovery as the CBI was not expecting the recovery of Jain’s original property documents,” added the CBI spokesperson.
According to the CBI officials, the case pertained to an appeal pending before the DDC in a blacklisting case. An alleged bribe of ₹15 lakh was sought to get a favourable order in the matter from the DDC. The person, who complained to the CBI, was also promised further legal help in the case, said CBI officials.
In a formal statement, the CBI said that it had registered a case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against registrar Rishi Raj and council’s advocate N Pradeep Sharma. The duo were allegedly caught demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹4.73 lakh from the complainant.
“Searches were conducted at the office and residence of the accused persons, which led to the recovery of about ₹24 lakh in cash, half kilo of gold and also alleged documents relating to a minister, government of NCT, Delhi,” the statement added.
The CBI said three property documents, including two original sale deeds are of land measuring 12 bigha, 2 bishwa and 8 bigha, 17 bishwa at Village Karala in Delhi and a power of attorney for land measuring 14 bighas in Karala. Besides, they also recovered one deposit slipbook of a bank containing counter foils, detailing cheque deposits of around ₹2 crore during the year 2011 in the name of Jain & Companies wherein Jain served as director. Also, a total of 41 cheque books were recovered that were in the name of Jain, his wife name and a private estate firm.
“We are probing as to how Jain’s documents reached the locker of Rishi Raj. It could be a case of hiding documents from the CBI also. All these angles are under probe,” said a CBI official.
The accused were produced before the court and have been remanded to four days of police custody.