The problems for former Delhi Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain may further aggravate as Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena sanctioned a CBI inquiry against the jail official for aiding him.
Delhi LG VK Saxena sanctioned the CBI inquiry under Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act, 1988, against Raj Kumar, the then Superintendent of Jail Number 4, Tihar Jail, for aiding former Delhi Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain in extorting Rs 10 crore from Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who was then also lodged in Tihar Jail, the LG office said in a press release issued on Friday.
Raj Kumar allegedly helped the high-profile extortion racket being run from Tihar Jail, which extorted and received money from Chandrashekhar as protection money, so as to enable him to live peacefully and comfortably in jail. “The matter is being investigated by the CBI and the request for prosecution sanction had come to the LG, who is the competent authority in the matter, through the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV), GNCTD,” the LG office further said.
The CBI is probing the charges made by Sukesh that Jain had extorted and received Rs 10 crore from Sukesh Chandrashekhar in various tranches during 2018-21 either personally or through his accomplices, including Raj Kumar, as protection money so as to enable Sukesh ‘to live peacefully and comfortably in different jails of Delhi (Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli)’. “Raj Kumar was a close associate of Sandeep Goel and aided him in extorting money from Chandrashekhar and even himself tried to extort money from the conman through PayTM mode.
Goel and Mukesh Prasad are also accused of receiving Rs 12.50 crore in various tranches during 2019-22 from Sukesh Chandrashekhar,” the LG office added.
Jain, Goel, Prasad and Kumar are accused of misusing their official positions as public servants in extending undue favour to Sukesh Chandrashekhar and other high-profile inmates in Delhi Jails in lieu valuable considerations.
Satyendra Jain was arrested by the ED in May 2022 in a money laundering case. He is presently out on bail granted by Supreme Court on medical grounds.
The new probe has given AAP rivals fresh ammunition ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to question its claims of being corruption-free.
A BJP leader said, “We welcome the CBI inquiry for which LG has given its nod, and we firmly believe that the “Jail superintendent will turn out to be a conduit, and Satyendra Jain will be the main culprit.” However, AAP has yet to comment on this matter.