Rs 2,000-cr classroom ‘scam’ case: ACB questions former AAP minister Satyendar Jain for five hours

Officials said after Sisodia’s questioning on Monday, Jain is likely to be called for questioning in the coming week.

Jain arrived at the ACB office around 11.45 am, along with his lawyer, and was questioned till a little over 5 pm. Sources said Jain was asked several questions with regard to how the classrooms were built.

Officials further added that Jain’s response to allegations was repetitive. When asked about a certain kind of favouritism shown to contractors and architects, Jain claimed he did not know them or had any personal relationship with them.

On April 30, the ACB had registered an FIR against the two AAP leaders in connection with alleged corruption in the construction of 12,748 classrooms or semi-permanent structures during the previous AAP government’s tenure.

While Sisodia held the finance and education portfolios in the AAP government, Jain was the minister of health, industries, power, home, urban development, and PWD.

Following the summonses, the AAP had said in a statement, “This is not a scam by any stretch — it’s a calculated political ploy by the BJP. They are weaponising institutions to attack AAP leaders and create a false narrative… When the Aam Aadmi Party held power in Delhi, the BJP systematically defanged the ACB to strip it of any real authority. Today, they are using the same weakened institution as a tool to target AAP leaders and further their own agenda.”

Joint Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma, who heads the ACB, had earlier confirmed the registration of the FIR. “The Chief Technical Examiner’s report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) pointed out several anomalies in the project, and the report was kept under the carpet for about three years. The case was registered after permission under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was received from the competent authority,” he said.

In 2019, BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Harish Khurana and Neelkant Bakshi had filed a complaint alleging financial irregularities in the construction of classrooms in government schools in three zones. According to the complaint, the construction cost per room came out to approximately Rs 24.86 lakh, exponentially higher than the roughly Rs 5 lakh it takes for similar constructions in Delhi.

They also alleged that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, most of whom were associated with the AAP.

According to ACB officials, 12,748 semi-permanent structures were supposed to be built at a cost of Rs 1,200 per sqft, but the cost shot up to around Rs 2,292 per sqft during construction.

This cost escalation, which BJP leaders allege was a result of corruption, is now being probed by the ACB.