Arrested Delhi bureaucrat, aide sent to judicial custody

A court here on Thursday sent, to 14 days judicial custody, a principal secretary of the Delhi government and his personal assistant, arrested by the CBI for taking a bribe from a labour contractor who arranges security guards and peons.

Sanjay Pratap Singh, who is principal secretary, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities Welfare, and his assistant Ramesh Kumar were presented before Special Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna after expiry of their seven day police custody, and the court remanded them in judicial custody as the agency said further custodial interrogation was not required.

It was alleged that the two people allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs.2.2 lakh from the contractor whose firm is providing security guards and peons to the welfare department.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), following registration of the case, the probe agency laid a trap and the personal assistant was caught while accepting the bribe of Rs.2.2 lakh from the complainant, on behalf of the IAS officer. He had asked his assistant to deliver the money to his car.

"The assistant delivered the money to his car, which was intercepted by the CBI outside his office and the officer was nabbed with the bribe amount," a CBI official has said.

Singh, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer, was later suspended by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.