NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday granted sanction to the CBI to prosecute senior IAS officer and former principal secretary of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Rajendra Kumar, in a corruption case.
The Union Home Ministry also rejected Rajendra Kumar’s plea for voluntary retirement as the case is still pending against him.
The CBI is probing corruption charges, relating to his earlier stint with the Delhi government, when he held multiple posts including that of secretary, Information Technology Department.
Official sources said the decision to grant sanction comes after careful examination of the CBI’s request to the effect. The Ministry also rejected his plea for availing Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), saying it cannot be allowed during the pendency of a corruption case against him. Rajendra Kumar was chargesheeted by the CBI in December.
In its chargesheet, the CBI has alleged that the accused persons (including Rajendra Kumar) had entered into a criminal conspiracy to cause a loss of `12 crore to the Delhi government in award of contracts between 2007 and 2015.
Rajendra Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS officer was booked by the CBI for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC besides violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act.