The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi Government on Friday accused the newly-appointed Lieutenant Governor (L-G), VK Saxena, of misleading people by penalising four Delhi Government officers on charges of financial irregularities even though a committee formed by the Delhi Assembly Speaker has already probed the matter and action has been initiated.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the committee had summoned the then Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar for protecting the corrupt and hiding the facts and later after a thorough probe the case was forwarded to Raj Niwas for further action through the controlling Union Home Ministry.

 Addressing a press conference, Bhardwaj said that earlier, during the Assembly session, the Revenue Department was asked a question that “Is it true that in Jhangola Village of North Delhi, Government land worth several crores of rupees was sold to private entities illegally?’ but the department did not answer this question and there was a ruckus in the House.

“These questions were later transferred to the Privileges Committee by the Speaker, and from January until now, the committee has been investigating the matter,” said Bhardwaj.“During investigation, the committee several times called upon then Divisional Commissioner, Khirwar and later the current Divisional Commissioner KR Meena.

We also called DM North and their senior officers and found out that several pieces of land that are evacuee properties of families that left India during time of Partition were sold illegally,” said Bhardwaj.

“This land was under the custody of the Central Government, and it is also known as custodial land. This land cannot be transferred to any other person under the Delhi Land Reforms Rules, 1954 and its ownership cannot be given to anyone else,” alleged Bhardwaj.

“Now while investigating the matter, the committee has found out that it is over 500 bighas – and in very simplistic terms, it is a matter of over Rs 500 crore. A series of SDMs have over time managed to illegally sell this land off to private builders,” he said.

“Around two months ago, an SDM named Ajit Thakur was suspended in the matter. Three SDMs named Devendra Sharma, PC Thakur and Harshit Jain were also suspended. The Committee also found that a few more ADM and DMs were indulged in financial irregularities,” said Bhardwaj.

 “I was the first person to raise this matter. I asked a starred question in the Legislative Assembly and a committee of the Assembly conducted an investigation on the matter,” claimed Bhardwaj.

“Hauz Khas Sub-Registrar DC Sahu and another official Kanoongo got suspended and it was projected as if the L-G took the action.  The reality is that the Committee on petitions which took the action. For the L-G's information, I want to tell him that this matter is of my constituency,” said Bhardwaj.