NEW DELHI: Lt Governor VK Saxena referred to the Delhi Assembly Speaker a Vigilance Directorate request for prosecution sanction in a case against AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, officials said on Tuesday. No immediate reaction was available from the AAP or Tripathi on the development.
Tripathi, the AAP’s Model Town MLA, is accused of demanding Rs 90 lakh from a woman to allegedly secure her a party ticket for last year’s Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls, the officials said.
Acting on a complaint by the woman’s husband, the Anti-Corruption Branch registered a case against Tripathi and his acquaintances under the Prevention of Corruption Act in November, they added.
“The L-G has referred the request of the Vigilance Directorate to prosecute AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi to the Speaker of Delhi Assembly (Ram Niwas Goel),” an official said.
Three people, including a relative of the MLA and his personal assistant, were arrested on November 16 in the matter.
The MLA’s personal assistant was arrested from the complainant’s residence where he allegedly went to return the “bribe money” after the woman did not get the AAP ticket to contest the MCD polls from the Kamla Nagar ward.
Saxena, while referring the matter to Goel, noted that the speaker is the competent authority to grant prosecution sanction in the case as the accused is a sitting MLA.
The Supreme Court judgment in the PV Narasimha Rao versus CBI (1998) case also held that the speaker’s sanction is needed for the prosecution of MPs and MLAs for offences made under the Prevention of Corruption Act as they are public servants for the purpose of the law, the officials added.