Classroom construction irregularities: ACB case against AAP’s Sisodia, Satyendar

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Tuesday registered a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over alleged corruption in the construction of 12,748 classrooms in Delhi government schools, officials said on Wednesday.

According to ACB officials, the case pegged at ₹2,000 crore, during the AAP’s tenure in Delhi, involves alleged irregularities in the construction of 12,748 classrooms at government schools.

The probe was initiated after several complaints by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

“The case pertains to awarding contracts at inflated costs, procedural violations, and cost escalations that were allegedly engineered to benefit contractors linked to the party. The construction was ostensibly aimed at expanding classroom capacity in government-run schools, but our investigations revealed that each classroom was constructed at an average cost of ₹24.86 lakh—nearly five times the market rate of around ₹5 lakh per room. Though the classrooms were built as semi-permanent structures (SPS), which typically have a 30-year lifespan, the cost was nearly equivalent to that of fully reinforced concrete (RCC) structures with a 75-year lifespan. Surprisingly, no financial justification was given for opting for SPS over permanent structures,” said joint commissioner of police Madhur Verma, who is also the ACB chief.

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He further said that it was also revealed during investigation that consultants and architects were appointed without following due procedures, and cost escalations were carried out through them without seeking new tenders, violating guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) works manual.

“Contracts initially worth ₹860 crore were inflated by up to 90%, eventually touching ₹2,892 crore. A staggering ₹205 crore of this escalation was due to “richer specifications”—a term the agency has used to describe upgrades that lacked transparent financial rationale. A critical report by the Chief Technical Examiner (CTE) of the CVC was also kept hidden for nearly three years. Issued in February 2020, the report flagged multiple violations of procurement norms and highlighted how changes made post-tender awards led to a massive cost escalation and financial loss,” Verma said.

“Following approval under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act from the competent authority, the ACB has filed an FIR (No. 31/2025) under Section 13(1) of the POC Act, read with IPC Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy). A comprehensive investigation is now underway to determine the culpability of both the ministers, government officials, and contractors involved in the project,” added the ACB chief.

A comment from AAP is awaited and the copy will be updated whenever it is received.