The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at 13 locations, including home of AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, as part of a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in hospital construction projects cleared during the AAP govt’s tenure.
Officials confirmed that the raids took place across Delhi and nearby areas, though details about any seizures or specific financial findings have not been released. Saurabh Bharadwaj, a three-time MLA from Greater Kailash, has previously held portfolios of Health, Urban Development, and Water, served as chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board, and is also an official AAP spokesperson.
The probe stems from an August 2024 complaint by then Opposition leader Vijender Gupta, alleging corruption in the approval and execution of 24 hospital projects worth ₹5,590 crore between 2018–19. These included 11 new hospitals and 13 expansions of existing facilities.
According to the ED, the projects were plagued by delays, inflated costs, and suspected diversion of funds. Not one hospital was completed on schedule, while cost escalations of several hundred crores remain unexplained. A major scheme — the ₹1,125 crore ICU Hospital Project to add 6,800 beds through seven pre-engineered facilities — is reportedly only half complete despite large expenditures.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau later filed a case against Bhardwaj and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, alleging budget manipulation, misuse of public funds, and collusion with contractors.
AAP leaders strongly criticized the raids, calling them politically motivated. CM Arvind Kejriwal accused the Modi government of “misusing central agencies” to target AAP for being the loudest critic of its policies. Atishi alleged the raids were timed to distract from questions surrounding PM Modi’s academic degree, pointing out Bhardwaj wasn’t even a minister during the period in question. She cited Satyendar Jain’s three-year jail term before investigators filed a closure report as proof of “fabricated cases.”
Former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia echoed the claim, saying raids followed immediately after opposition leaders raised questions about Modi’s degree. He argued that the case against Bhardwaj, like previous ones, was false and intended only to suppress AAP’s voice.