Delhi L-G moots legal action against AAP leaders for false graft charges against him: Official

AAP leaders have alleged that Saxena as KVIC chairman got demonetised notes exchanged by pressuring employees and went on to claim that Rs 22 lakh got exchanged in the Delhi branch alone.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. (Photo | Twitter, @fmnews_india)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. (Photo | Twitter, @fmnews_india)

NEW DELHI: Delhi L-G V K Saxena will take legal action against AAP MLAs Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Durgesh Pathak and DDC vice-chairman Jasmine Shah among others for their "false and defamatory" graft charges against him, officials said Wednesday.

Officials at the LG secretariat said the matter was probed by the CBI and the agency has already filed a charge sheet against two accused KVIC employees.

The matter is pending in the Rouse Avenue Court, New Delhi, they said.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources said the party is only demanding that Saxena's role in the alleged "scam" be thoroughly investigated and until that period he should resign as the lieutenant governor of Delhi.

"If he has nothing to hide, why is he resisting investigation? Law should apply equally for everyone," an AAP source said.

The AAP is up in arms against the L-G after Pathak alleged in the Delhi Assembly on Monday that Saxena, as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), had pressured his employees to exchange demonetised notes worth Rs 1,400 crore in 2016.

AAP MLAs had forced adjournment of the special session sitting of the Assembly on Monday demanding the L-G's resignation.

Later, the allegation was repeated inside and outside the Assembly by several AAP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

"It is reiterated that the matter being falsely touted by the AAP is with regards to just Rs 17.07 lakh as against the claims of Rs 1,400 crore which is nothing but a figment of the imagination of the accusers who will face the consequences," an official at the L-G secretariat said.

"The Lt Governor has decided to take legal action against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and Jasmine Shah among others for highly defamatory and false allegations of corruption by them, attributed to his tenure as chairman of KVIC," said a note from L-G office.

The relations between the AAP and Delhi LG have taken a turn for the worse, after Saxena, in July, recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Arvind Kejriwal government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The note from the L-G's office provided details of the matter trying to clear the allegations by the AAP leaders.

"The CBI has already inquired into the case at the behest of KVIC itself and filed the charge sheet as well.

The people, based on whose statements these allegations are being manufactured against the LG, are the two who have prima facie been found to be engaged in corruption at KVIC after demonetization by CBI," said the note.

The Government of India demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes on November 8, 2016.

A day later, KVIC issued a circular preventing acceptance of old currency notes of the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination by any of its sales outlets and establishments with immediate effect, it said.

Later, it was learnt that some demonetised notes were deposited in the account of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan (KGB), New Delhi, on different dates.

The matter was referred to the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of KVIC.

The CBI was also informed and based on this information, a joint surprise check was conducted on April 6, 2017, said the LG office note.

After a preliminary investigation, the CVO on April 17, 2017, recommended the suspension and transfer of four officials of KGB, New Delhi, it said.

The four were suspended and transferred.

The CVO, in its report, stated that from November 10 to December 31, 2016, a total amount of Rs 22,17,000 was deposited in the KGB bank account in Delhi in which 2,140 notes were of Rs 500 denomination and 1,147 notes were of Rs 1,000 denomination, the note from the L-G office stated.

The KVIC informed the CBI about the preliminary investigation by its CVO.

The CBI, after a thorough probe found the involvement of only two persons Sanjeev Kumar Malik, salesman-III/head cashier and Pradeep Yadav, LDC/head cashier in allegedly depositing the demonetised notes, it said.

An FIR was registered by the CBI on September 10, 2017, against the two accused.

The CBI found that only Rs 17,07,000 were deposited in the form of demonetised currency notes in the account of KGB, New Delhi, instead of Rs 22,17,000, as reported by the CVO, the L-G office's note said.

AAP leaders have alleged that Saxena as KVIC chairman got demonetised notes exchanged by pressuring employees and went on to claim that Rs 22 lakh got exchanged in the Delhi branch alone.

There are 7,000 such branches across the country which means there was a scam of Rs 1,400 crore, the AAP leaders had alleged.

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