Police officials stand guard outside the residence of AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducts a raid in the hospital construction scam at Chirag Delhi in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday launched searches at 13 locations in and around the Capital, including the residence of former Delhi Health Minister and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj, as part of its probe into the alleged hospital construction “scam”.
According to agency sources, the searches were carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and stem from a June 2025 case registered by Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) against former State Health Ministers, private contractors, and unidentified government officials. The allegations include large-scale corruption, inflated costs, unauthorised constructions, and misappropriation of funds in health infrastructure projects under the AAP government.
“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, to trace evidence of diversion and laundering of public funds,” an ED source said. The ACB began investigating after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) granted approval to probe senior AAP leaders Satyendar Jain — also a former Health Minister — and Mr. Bharadwaj for alleged irregularities in hospital construction. On May 6, Delhi Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena forwarded the ACB’s request to the MHA seeking clearance.
‘Misuse of agencies’
The raids sparked an immediate backlash from AAP, which accused the BJP-led Centre of “misusing” investigative agencies. “The [Narendra] Modi government wants to suppress our voice. This will never happen,” AAP chief and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal posted on X, calling his party “the most vocal voice against the Centre’s wrong policies and corrupt deeds”.
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia linked the timing of the raids to the ongoing controversy around Mr. Modi’s academic degree. “Instead of answering degree question, they staged an ED raid at Saurabh’s house. Just like their degree is fake, so are these cases,” he alleged.
‘Misleading people’
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva countered AAP’s allegations, accusing it of deflecting attention. “This probe is about the hospital construction scam, not about who was the Minister. AAP is trying to mislead people… Despite announcing 11 new hospitals and seven temporary ones during COVID-19, not a single permanent hospital was completed. The people of Delhi want answers,” he said.
Published – August 27, 2025 01:38 am IST
