NEW DELHI: Delhi L-G VK Saxena has decided to take legal action against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Atishi, Durgesh Pathak and others for allegations of corruption leveled by them and attributed to his tenure as Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Raj Niwas sources said. On Monday, AAP had alleged that the L-G had got Rs 1,400 crore of demonetised currency exchanged from banks through his staff in November 2016 while heading KVIC. The party has demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, apart from the L-G’s immediate removal. Sources said that the L-G has taken a serious view of the allegations, which he has termed ‘blatantly false, defamatory and obviously diversionary’, and has decided to take legal action against them. There was no immediate response from the Aam Aadmi Party on the issue. The CBI has already inquired into the case at the behest of KVIC itself and has filed the chargesheet as well, a source said. An official of the L-G Secretariat said that following the demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency notes on November 8, 2016, KVIC issued a circular the next day, stating that the old currency notes will not be accepted by any sales outlets and establishments. “It came to be known that certain demonetized notes were deposited in the account of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan (KGB), New Delhi, on various dates,’ he said. The issue was immediately referred to the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of KVIC for investigation and action, he said, adding that a joint surprise check was conducted along with CBI. After preliminary investigation, the four KGB officials, including a manager and a sales in-charge, were suspended and transferred on the recommendation of the CVO on April 17, 2017. In its report, the CVO had stated that during November 10 and December 31, 2016, a total amount of Rs 22.17 lakh were deposited in the KGB bank account in Delhi, including 2,140 notes of Rs 500 and 1,147 notes of Rs 1,000, the official said. On May 29, 2017, KVIC informed the CBI about the preliminary investigation done by CVO and action taken against the four officials, he said. The official said that after CBI investigation, the involvement of two head cashiers in depositing the demonetized notes was found and an FIR was registered against them on July 10, 2017. He said that the investigation revealed that a scrutiny of cash deposit slips of KGB revealed that Rs. 5.1 lakh were legal tender and the total amount of demonetized currency notes was of Rs. 17.07 lakh. He said the issue is regarding Rs. 17.07 lakh, which AAP is claiming to be a scam of Rs. 1,400 crore. “The people on the basis of whose statements these allegations are being manufactured against the L-G are the two people who have prima facie been found to be engaged in corruption at KVIC after demonetization by CBI,” he said. AAP Party sources said that everyone accepts that a massive money laundering scam happened in KVIC during the Chairmanship of Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Delhi L-G. They claimed that two witnesses have given a signed statement against Saxena but the CBI never made him an accused or called him even once for investigation. An AAP functionary said the party is only demanding that VK Saxena’s role in this scam be thoroughly investigated and until that period he should resign as L-G of Delhi. “If he has nothing to hide, why is he resisting investigation? Law should apply equally for everyone,” he said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-l-g-to-take-legal-action-against-aap-leaders-for-false-graft-charges-against-him-official/articleshow/93903863.cms