Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) move requesting permission from the Union government to file a First Information Report (FIR) against former Delhi jail minister Satyendar Jain and former Director General of Prisons Sandeep Goel for their alleged involvement in extorting crores of rupees from high-profile prisoners.
The request for sanction against Jain and jail officer Raj Kumar was sent to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, while for suspended IPS Goel and retired IAS Mukesh Prasad, the CBI has approached the Union Home Ministry, news agency PTI reported. The agency alleges that Jain, Goel, Prasad, and Kumar were involved in extorting money from various high-profile prisoners, including Sukesh Chandrashekhar, to provide them with a comfortable life in jail.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj, criticised the move, stating that it makes a “mockery of the country’s law and order.” Bharadwaj pointed out that the CBI is investigating the matter at the behest of a man who is behind bars for his alleged conmanship.
“What joke has this country’s law and order become? A man who is the biggest con, the biggest thug, and is behind bars for his conmanship. The man allegedly conned a major business owner’s wife to the tune of over Rs 200 crore while in jail, claiming that he spoke to the Home Minister to secure his release. The man is said to have called up people claiming to a be Supreme Court judge or a secretary in the Central government. The CBI is probing the matter at the behest of that man. Nothing has made a mockery of the country’s law and order like this before this,” he told news agency ANI.
Regarding LG’s nod for this matter, he said, “What can AAP do? If the Central Government conducts a probe against AAP MLAs, ministers, and leaders into every matter, then how can AAP stop that? They have power, they can probe into any matter. They will summon people, issue notice, and harass them — this is the politics of Central Government today.”
The CBI, seeking mandatory sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act, alleges that Jain, Goel, Prasad, and Kumar operated a high-level corruption and extortion racket in Delhi jails. The agency claims that they misused their official positions, extorting large sums of money from inmates, including Chandrashekhar, to provide them with a peaceful and comfortable life in jail, PTI reported.
The amounts, alleged to be Rs 10 crore from Jain and Rs 12.50 crore from Goel and Prasad, were received as protection money. The AAP denies any association or transactions between Jain and Chandrashekhar. Raj Kumar, the then jail superintendent, is accused of aiding Goel in extorting money from Chandrashekhar. The extortion allegedly extended to other high-profile prisoners for protection money.
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