The Centre, on recommendation of lieutenant governor VK Saxena, has granted sanction to the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to investigate former health ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigation will examine alleged financial irregularities, construction delays, and inflated costs in the development of 24 Delhi government hospitals in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Officials familiar with the matter said that ACB sought the Centre’s sanction in August 2024 following a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vijender Gupta, who alleged “large-scale corruption” in the city’s health infrastructure projects. The LG forwarded the request to the Union government on May 6, 2025.
The AAP responded by calling the move a politically motivated “farce,” while Bharadwaj said the probe into his role, despite his appointment as health minister after the approvals, was “ridiculous and desperate.”
In the case of allegations against former ministers, the ACB sends the proposal to initiate an inquiry to the LG’s office, which then is forwarded to the ministry of home affairs for their approval. After the MHA’s assent, the LG communicates the same to the ACB, allowing for a case to be registered.The LG’s office also seems comments from the departments concerned.
According to officials, the ACB investigation will cover 24 hospital projects — 11 greenfield (construction on unused land) projects and 13 brownfield (construction on land which was earlier used for other purposes) upgrades — which were sanctioned in 2018-19 at a projected cost of ₹5,590 crore, but were allegedly delayed and their cost inflated.
The complaint cited unexplained delays and spiraling costs, including for seven ICU hospitals with a combined capacity of 6,800 beds. Sanctioned for ₹1,125 crore in 2021, the complaint alleges that only 50% of construction was complete after three years, even though ₹800 crore had already been spent.
The cost of the new block at Lok Nayak Hospital, the complaint alleged, went from ₹465 crore to ₹1,125 crore over four years. Similarly, out of 94 sanctioned polyclinics, only 52 have been completed, at a revised cost of ₹220 crore against the original ₹168 crore estimate. The complaint further claimed that cost-effective options like NIC’s e-hospital system were rejected multiple times, raising questions about “vested interests”.
When submitting the request, ACB cited repeated procedural lapses and planning failures that resulted in inflated expenditures, according to officials aware of the matter.
The department of vigilance forwarded the proposal to the Public Works Department (PWD) and the health and family welfare (H&FW) department, both of which supported the call for a probe. PWD officials recommended a “thorough vigilance inquiry” to trace the chain of responsibility and identify violations.
The departments also observed that upgrades and changes made after contracts were awarded led to further delays and cost overruns. Poor planning and imprecise estimates led to escalations, while disputes led to arbitration costs, imposing further financial strain on the exchequer, according to officials aware of the matter.
Responding to the move, the AAP alleged that the BJP-led government was trivialising governance and using state agencies for political vendetta. It questioned why routine delays in infrastructure work were being framed as corruption when similar or worse delays plague central government projects.
“If this is the new definition of corruption, then dozens of Union ministers should face CBI action every week,” the AAP said in a statement on Tuesday, calling the exercise a politically motivated farce. “They are wasting taxpayers’ hard-earned money on frivolous investigations.”
The AAP cited the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project as an example. “Approved in 2015 and originally slated for completion by 2023, it now won’t be ready before 2033. Costs have risen from ₹1.08 lakh crore to over ₹2 lakh crore — an 85% increase. Will the CBI register a corruption case?” the party asked.
Saurabh Bharadwaj dismissed the allegations, stating he had no role in any project-related decisions. “According to the LG’s own press release, project sanctions and estimates happened in 2017-18 and 2021. I became health minister only in 2023. Not a single file for revised estimates or costs came to me after that. Targeting me only shows the BJP’s political frustration,” he said.
The AAP also pointed out that delays and cost escalations are common in infrastructure development and said holding ministers accountable in this manner sets a dangerous precedent. “Fifty-three percent of central government infrastructure projects are delayed by over three years and face major cost overruns. Will the BJP file corruption charges in each of those cases?” the party questioned.
Jain, the other minister named in the probe, has not officially responded, but AAP maintained he was not linked to the specific hospital projects being investigated.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said: “The Kejriwal government spent 10 years boasting about international-level health services, but the people of Delhi clearly saw through the corruption in the health department.”