NEW DELHI: Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena has referred to Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel the vigilance department's request for granting prosecution sanction against Aam Aadmi Party's Model Town legislator Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, accused of demanding a Rs 90-lakh bribe from a woman in lieu of securing a party ticket for her in the MCD elections last year.
The woman's husband lodged a complaint in this regard, following which the anti-corruption branch registered a case on November 15, 2022, against Tripathi and his three alleged accomplices under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Three persons, including aa relative of the MLA as well as his personal assistant, were arrested on November 16 last year by the ACB in the case.
"The LG has referred the request of the directorate of vigilance to prosecute AAP MLA Akhilesh Pati Tripathi to the Speaker of Delhi Assembly," an official in the LG secretariat said.
Calling the case false, Tripathi said he has even provided CCTV footage of all rooms in his office as well as the recording of public cameras installed outside his office by the government.
"I recently raised my voice against the BJP who is helping the Rohingya settle in the capital. That's why they have suddenly started pursuing this case again," Tripathi told TOI.
He added that the BJP was running a campaign against AAP. "They are using all federal agencies to threaten AAP workers and further their politics of revenge. But the people of Delhi know that we believe in the politics of work," the MLA said.
Officials said the personal assistant of the MLA was arrested from the residence of the complainant where he had allegedly gone to return the "bribe money" after the woman did not get the party ticket from Kamla Nagar.
"The vigilance directorate has found that the evidence - both human as well as technical - strongly indicated serious complicity of the MLA and other persons in the case," an official said.
While referring the matter to the Assembly Speaker, the LG noted that he (Speaker) was the competent authority to grant prosecution sanction in the case, as the accused is an MLA.
"The Supreme Court judgment in the PV Narasimha Rao versus CBI (1998) case held that the Speaker's sanction was needed for prosecution of sitting MPs and MLAs for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act as they are public servants," an official said.
When asked if he would present his case to the Speaker, Tripathi said he didn't have to do that. "Why should I meet the Speaker? The Speaker has his independent prerogative on such matters and he will look into this case as per the law," he said.