ACB to question contractor, architect in Delhi classroom case

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi government will question contractors and officials of the architecture firm involved in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools, and based on their statements, it will summon Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and former ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

A criminal case has been registered against the two former ministers and unidentified government officials over alleged irregularities in the construction of 12,748 classrooms during the AAP government’s tenure.

According to the first information report (FIR), accessed by HT, the project was awarded to around 34 contractors — some of whom are allegedly associated with or related to AAP members.

“It is alleged that the scam could not have been executed without collusion among officials of various departments motivated by personal gain,” the FIR states. It adds that Sisodia and Jain’s roles must be thoroughly probed “as such a large-scale scam could not have occurred without the knowledge, involvement or negligence of the ministers concerned”.

An ACB officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some contractors were repeatedly awarded tenders. The officer also said the architecture firm that planned the construction allegedly inflated the project costs.

“The Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) flagged Babbar and Babbar Associates, whose appointment details were not shared by the Public Works Department (PWD) despite repeated requests,” the FIR notes, adding that the firm’s role in “collaborating with the minister of PWD” must be investigated.

The FIR adds that works worth ₹42.5 crore were executed without tenders through existing contracts issued for other schools. “The architecture firm helped inflate the cost on paper. Their owners and officials will be questioned as they played an important role in finalising the costlier specifications,” the officer quoted above said.

Once contractors and officials of the firm are questioned, Sisodia and Jain will be called in, he added. “We only need to send them notices to join the probe. No further permissions are required,” the officer said.

According to the ACB, the case involves contracts worth over ₹2,800 crore in which consultants and architects were allegedly appointed without following due procedures. The inquiry was initiated following complaints by BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana, MLA Kapil Mishra, and the party’s then media head Neelkanth Bakshi.

“This case involves inflated costs, procedural violations, and escalations designed to benefit contractors linked to the party. Each classroom was built at an average cost of ₹24.86 lakh — nearly five times the market rate of ₹5 lakh,” ACB chief and joint commissioner Madhur Verma said on Wednesday.