The four Delhi Government officials who were suspended by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for alleged involvement in a scam used to transfer evacuee properties to private entities between 2015 and 2021.

Top sources said that the suspended officials had given Bhumidari rights of the Government land parcels to private entities that involved a scam.

The Lt Governor  has also recommended the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) the suspension of an additional district magistrate Shekhar Pati Tripathi, who is a selection grade officer currently in connection with the matter.

Sources said that three officers, two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) and a deputy secretary at the chief minister's office were suspended by Saxena on June 21.

These officials were all posted as SDM Alipur at different times and allegedly passed orders giving away ownership of evacuee land, vested with the Government of India, to private entities. “While Devender Sharma gave bhumidari rights on government land to M/S SG Estate Limited Ramchander Mission and Madhuvan in separate orders passed by him on a single day in June, 2015, Prakash Chand Thakur gave away government land to Geeta and ors. in June, 2019.

The process continued with Nagender Shekhar Pati Tripathi giving away bhumidari rights of government land to Jasram and Asharam in separate orders in November 2019 and Harshit Jain doing the same in favour of Adarsh Kumar in June, 2021,” sources said.

“All these land parcels belonging to one Karmu son of Rifait in village Jhangola in North District was declared evacuee property upon the said owner migrating to Pakistan, and their ownership was vested in the Central Government with the custodian becoming its guardian,” they stated.

“While suspension orders have been issued in respect of Devender Sharma, Prakash Chand Thakur and Harshit Jain on June 21st, 2022, recommendation for suspension of Nagender Shekhar Pati Tripathi, who is a selection grade officer currently posted as an ADM, has been recommended by the LG for consideration of the Home Ministry which is Competent Authority in his case,” they further said. The suspended officers, Harshit Jain, Prakash Chand Thakur, and Devender Sharma, were ad hoc officers of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS).

Jain and Sharma were SDMs while Thakur was currently posted as deputy secretary at chief minister's office. Vasant Vihar SDM Harshit Jain and Vivek Vihar SDM Devender Sharma were suspended and disciplinary proceedings ordered against them, sources said.

Criticising the AAP Government, Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had ‘hailed’ the Punjab Chief Minister’s decision to sack his Health Minister for corruption within three months of swearing in, kept a blind eye on the corrupt deeds happening under his very  nose in his own department.

Leader of the Opposition  also lambasted the Delhi government for failing to curb corruption among Government employees which led to Lieutenant Governor to interfere and suspend four officials.