New Delhi: Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi government has arrested the former deputy commissioner of the transport department for alleged corruption in fitness test of commercial vehicles.
The accused Joginder Sharma, a former Deputy Commissioner posted at Vehicle Inspection Unit (VIU) at Burari, has been produced before Special Judge Narottam Kaushal.
Sharma was arrested on Thursday by the ACB for allegedly allowing a private company, ESP India, to charge fees from commercial vehicles for various fitness tests which were not actually being conducted on them.
ESP India’s promoters are already in judicial custody in the present case. The arrests have been made in a case registered by the ACB pursuant to the complaint of RTI activist Vivek Garg alleging that the contract for fitness test of commercial vehicles was granted by the Delhi government to ESP India without inviting any tender and all necessary tests were not being conducted by the company.
While the ACB sought that Sharma be sent in judicial custody, the court granted him bail saying he had no direct role in the overcharging during the fitness tests.
The ACB told the court more public officials will be arrested in near future.
During the arguments, Additional Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan told the court today that he was posted at VIU, Burari from December 2009 to August 2011, during which period vehicle owners were charged by ESP India for various tests including the loaded mode emission test even as infrastructure for conducting the test was not set up.
Investigating Officer Pankaj Sharma also told the court that when the fact of overcharging by ESP, which siphoned off crores like this, was brought to Sharma’s notice by the Motor Licencing Officers posted at the Burari unit, he did not take any required action.
Sharma’s counsel, however, told the court that he had played no role in the decision making process whereby the contract was granted to ESP India.
