ED raids AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj over hospital construction irregularities
ED Raids AAP Leader Saurabh Bharadwaj Over Delhi Hospital Construction Scam
New Delhi: Former Delhi Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday as his residence was raided in connection with alleged irregularities in the construction of government hospitals in the capital.
The investigation is linked to an FIR registered earlier by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) against Saurabh Bharadwaj and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, alleging large-scale financial irregularities in Delhi’s public health infrastructure projects.
According to officials, ED conducted raids at thirteen locations, including the offices of two construction companies — one situated in West Patel Nagar and the other on Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
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As per the news reports by the Indian Express, in a statement on Tuesday, the ED said, “The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is conducting search operations under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) at 13 different locations across the Delhi-NCR. These searches are in connection with the… Delhi Hospital Construction Scam… against former Health Ministers of GNCT of Delhi, along with private contractors and unknown government officials.”
It added, “The operations are based on material collected during the course of investigation and allegations contained in the FIR regarding large-scale corruption, unjustified cost escalations, unauthorised constructions, and misappropriation of funds in health infrastructure projects… The search teams have covered the residential premises of Saurabh Bharadwaj, as well as the offices and residences of the private contractors involved in the projects, in order to trace evidence relating to diversion and laundering of public funds,” reports the Indian Express.
According to the ACB, the construction and upgradation of 24 hospitals — comprising 11 greenfield and 13 brownfield projects — were approved in 2018–19 with a sanctioned budget of ₹5,590 crore during Jain’s tenure as Health Minister. However, none of the projects were completed within the scheduled timelines, and most witnessed substantial cost escalations.
ACB officials also noted that an ICU hospital project worth ₹1,125 crore, which was meant to consist of seven pre-engineered buildings with 6,800 beds, is only halfway completed even after three years and an expenditure of ₹800 crore — despite an initial deadline of six months.
The complaint, filed by Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta last year, highlights major financial irregularities in health infrastructure projects.
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The ACB alleged over 100% cost escalation in seven ICU hospitals, with construction still pending beyond the February 2022 deadline. At Lok Nayak Hospital, project costs surged from ₹488 crore to ₹1,135 crore over four years, while only 52 of 94 planned clinics were completed despite a budget increase from ₹168 crore to ₹220 crore.
According to the Economic Times, the party has called the latest move by ED a 'diversionary tactic'. "ED raids against Saurabh Bharadwaj diversionary tactic; the case against him is false, dates back to time when he wasn't even a minister," said AAP leader Manish Sisodia.
