The Centre has given its approval to the Central Bureau of Investigation for prosecuting Arvind Kejriwal’s former principal secretary Rajendra Kumar in a corruption case. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs also rejected Kumar’s application for voluntary retirement, with officials citing the pending investigation against him as the reason for doing do, The Indian Express reported.
The ministry said there was “enough evidence of wrongdoing” on Kumar’s part to warrant an investigation against him, officials familiar with the proceedings told the Express. An official said the approval to investigate the former Indian Administrative Service officer “will now pave the way for a CBI court to frame charges against Kumar and others”.
In December 2015, the CBI filed a case against Kumar accusing him of abusing his position in the government by “favouring a particular firm in getting tenders of Delhi government departments”. The irregularities are related to an alleged computer purchase scandal of Rs 50 crore. The CBI had conducted a search at Kumar’s office in Delhi Secretariat last year and reportedly found around Rs 13 lakh in cash, including foreign currency, in his house. Kumar and four others were arrested on June 4, 2016.
However, the former secretary has claimed he was arrested to “implicate” Kejriwal. In an interview with Scroll.in, Kumar had claimed investigating officials attempted to intimidate him. He also claimed that former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung was unhappy with his work and reportedly sent him notes saying that his behaviour was “unbecoming of an officer of my seniority”.
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