The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi has registered a case against senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and former ministers Satyendar Jain and Saurabh Bharadwaj. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the ₹1,200 crore hospital infrastructure development project across Delhi, originally proposed to boost healthcare facilities in the capital.
The ACB acted based on a detailed complaint that claimed the construction of several new hospitals was delayed and mismanaged, allegedly leading to a misuse of funds allocated by the Delhi government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nature of the Allegations
The complaint, filed by a private individual, accuses both Jain and Bharadwaj of overseeing the misappropriation of public funds intended for the construction of 12 new hospitals and the upgrade of 15 others. The whistleblower claims that despite the government’s budgetary announcements in 2020 and 2021, little to no progress was made on the ground, and project timelines were either abandoned or significantly delayed.
The complainant alleges that contractors were selected without due process, bills were cleared without actual work completion, and fake progress reports were filed. Several Right to Information (RTI) responses reportedly reveal discrepancies between official claims and the actual site status of hospital projects.
Satyendar Jain, who served as Delhi’s Health Minister until his arrest in a separate money laundering case in 2022, was said to be the main decision-maker in hospital expansion plans. Saurabh Bharadwaj, who briefly held charge of the Health portfolio, is also named in the complaint for allegedly continuing the same project path without accountability.
Political Reactions and ACB Probe
The ACB confirmed that a case has been formally registered and that a probe is underway to assess the veracity of financial and administrative records related to the health department’s infrastructure projects. The agency may summon both leaders for questioning shortly.
The Delhi government had announced that the construction of new hospitals would add 17,000 beds by 2025. However, multiple media and RTI reports suggest that the ground progress does not match official claims.
The case has reignited the debate on transparency in infrastructure spending and could have major political repercussions for AAP, which has built much of its electoral appeal on the strength of its public health and education reforms.
About the Author – Anirudh Mittal is a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, with a keen interest in corporate law and tech-driven legal change.