Chautala parole row: Met Najeeb Jung over hospital land, says Satyendar Jain now

In the backdrop of heated war of words between the AAP government and lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung on the issue of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala’s parole, city home minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday claimed that his meeting with the L-G last month was on the issue of land for setting up new hospitals and not over withdrawal of cases against some AAP leaders as claimed by the L-G’s office.

The AAP on Saturday approached the anti-corruption branch against Mr Jung, accusing him of “misusing office” to favour the former Haryana chief minister for parole. The L-G’s office on Friday had rubbished the allegations, claiming that the charges were being made as the L-G had declined a request by Mr Jain for withdrawal of 24 cases registered against the AAP leaders, including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, pending in various courts.

“The L-G’s allegation that I had met him on the issue of withdrawal of cases against the AAP leaders are baseless. I did not go to the L-G Secretariat with files of the AAP leaders for withdrawing cases registered against them. As lieutenant-governor is the chairman of DDA, I met him on October 21 to demand land for setting up 10 new hospitals, but he denied giving land free of cost and said he would consider the request in case the government pays for the same,” Mr Jain said.

The minister said that during the meeting, he had just asked the L-G about the one-and-a-half-month-old pending files of 11 political leaders booked in “compoundable cases” and not in criminal cases, including seven from the AAP, three from the BJP and one from the Congress, which the L-G said would be seen on a case-to-case basis. “These are petty cases which include violation of prohibited orders — dharna, posters on public property. This is wrong to say that the government had sought to withdraw criminal cases against some AAP leaders,” Mr Jain said.

The Delhi government on Saturday stated that compoundable cases against political leaders are never withdrawn on executive orders, but through a screening committee, headed by principal secretary (home).

The minister claimed that this is the same committee which has already withdrawn cases against BJP leader Harsh Vardhan.