J.P. Aggarwal, former joint secretary (judicial) in Union home ministry and incumbent principal secretary in Delhi Development Authority, was arrested by the CBI in a bribery case on Wednesday night.
The arrest assumes significance as Aggarwal has held several key posts, the latest being the member-secretary to the one man committee of Justice (retd) G.P. Mathur, set up in 2014 by the Union home ministry to oversee the implementation of payment of enhanced compensation of Rs 5 lakh per person to families of those killed during the 1984 riots.
The panel had been set up to look into grievances relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and the committee had submitted its report to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
It was on the recommendation of the home ministry-appointed committee that a Special Investigation Team was set up in February 2015, to re-investigate around 75 cases of anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other states.
The entire spade work of preparing the report had been done by Aggarwal, who was the joint secretary in MHA, in-charge of the judicial division. The judicial division looks into drafting of laws by the MHA, legal matters reaching from the state governments, mercy petitions of death row prisoners, and crucial amendments to certain central laws.
On Wednesday, the CBI registered a case under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act against Aggarwal, and three private persons—Sunil Gupta, Anil Gupta and J.P. Sharma—following allegations of bribery. The case relates to undue favour being shown by Aggarwal in a case of alleged allotment of a flat.
“J.P. Aggarwal, Sunil Gupta and Anil Gupta were apprehended while transacting the alleged bribe amount of Rs 4 lakh ,” said an official spokesperson of the CBI. The CBI officials said the alleged beneficiary of the flat, Sharma, was also apprehended later.
Sources in the CBI said permission is not required for apprehending a government servant of Aggarwal’s seniority if it’s a “trap” case. The money was apparently being exchanged inside a file, sources said. In normal course, the CBI requires government permission to act against officers of the level or joint secretary and above.
Meanwhile, searches were being conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused as investigations into the matter is under way.
The office of the principal commissioner DDA is a rushed office near Safdarjung airport where there is a heavy footfall everyday. Aggarwal, who used to sit on the first floor, was someone who knew the IPC and CRPC as the back of his hand, and was proud of his stint in the home ministry. A 1998 batch officer, Aggarwal came from the Central Secretariat Service. He was appointed as principal commissioner DDA in April 2015 after he completed his critical work in assisting Justice Mathur to submit his report. Aggarwal had been appointed in his incumbent post till November 30, 2019.