In 1997, the CBI filed a complaint against a doctor at Delhi's GB Pant Hospital, accusing him of entering into a criminal conspiracy with a director of a company in order to cheat the hospital of Rs 6.8 crore in 1990. The CBI stated that 32 indents (official requests for goods) were placed by the hospital without there being a requirement, and fraudulent certificates were issued to the company – BL Marketing Service Private Limited – to avoid the open tender process. Besides, the equipment was allegedly procured at an exorbitant price by the hospital. On June 7, 27 years later, a Delhi court acquitted all three – the doctor, the firm director, and the company itself – calling the investigation of the CBI “superficial”. By doing so, the judge at the Rouse Avenue court disposed of perhaps the oldest pending corruption case in Central Delhi's trial courts. However, justice came a little too late for the doctor: Dr OP Jain died in 2020. The company director, Sunil Aggarwal, has been out on bail. Pulling up the CBI, the court of Special Judge Bhupinder Singh noted that there was nothing on record to suggest that the equipment procured were available at a lower price elsewhere. The court further said that none of the witnesses examined by the prosecution stated that the procured equipment was not received or used by the hospital. “.no witness examined by the prosecution could throw light as to how the prosecution came to the conclusion that the equipment/articles were purchased at higher prices,” the court added. The court said the FIR was filed “without aiming to reach at any just conclusion” years after the alleged offence took place, which eliminated the possibility of getting any evidence. The court further said the role of several people involved in the process was not investigated by the agency. Judge Bhupinder said the fate of the case was sealed by the manner in which it was being investigated. Oldest corruption case in Central Delhi? Outside the courtrooms of various judges in Rouse Avenue in Central Delhi is a list which shows the progress of the oldest cases, which are to be disposed of by the end of 2024. On a paper stuck on the wall next to the entrance of Judge Bhupinder's room, were the words “CBI vs Dr OP Jain” with the remark “disposed” written next to it with a blue gel pen. According to data available on the National Judicial Datagrid (NJDG) website, 121 criminal cases (0.1% of all pending criminal cases) have been pending for the last 20 to 30 years in Central Delhi. Along with Rouse Avenue, Tis Hazari Courts (Central) has the jurisdiction of all cases in Central Delhi. Going by the records, the case against Dr Jain and Aggarwal was perhaps the oldest pending corruption case in Central Delhi's trial courts which was disposed of.
