There was pressure to name VIP, says probe panel chief

Chetan Sanghi was heading the government-appointed DDCA probe panel, which had recommended setting up of an inquiry Commission

 

A probe into the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) controversy took a dramatic turn on Monday with Chetan Sanghi, Delhi government’s principal secretary in the vigilance department, informing the Centre he was under pressure from “various stakeholders” to name a “certain VIP” in his report.

Sanghi was heading the Delhi government-appointed DDCA probe panel, which had recommended setting up of an inquiry commission. That commission has since been set up under Gopal Subramanium to probe the alleged wrong doings in DDCA, including during 1999-2013, when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley headed the cricket body.

Sanghi, who has been on leave for some time, said in his letter to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi: “There was considerable emphasis on naming who were at fault and in particular a certain VIP. There was a lot of pressure from various stakeholders since the subject was very controversial.”

Sanghi — whose report does not name anybody —added that since the “formal mandate was not to do so”, a very tight rope walk was taken. The short time-frame of three days, too, did not help matters, he said.

The issue had become controversial as there were several former cricket luminaries who were vocal about the alleged mismanagement in DDCA, Sanghi said.

In his letter dated December 28, 2015, Sanghi also requested for Central deputation and closing the cases initiated against him by the Anti-Corruption Branch.

Government sources say that ever since Sanghi had been booked by the ACB which reports to the Lt Governor, the bureaucrat wanted to extricate himself from being caught in the crossfire between Centre and Delhi government. Sources say therefore the "complaint" to the Home Ministry and the plea for deportation to Centre.

The BJP lost no time, in hitting out at the Delhi government. Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that lawyer Rahul Mehra, a member of the probe panel, had put pressure on Sanghi to name Arun Jaitley. Mehra, a senior standing counsel with Delhi government, outrightly denied the charges, calling the allegations of both the BJP and Sanghi baseless and politically motivated.