Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi Accuses CS Naresh Kumar of Misusing Position in ILBS Collaboration

In a fresh report, Delhi’s Vigilance Minister, Atishi has alleged Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of leveraging his position to facilitate a “lucrative collaboration” between the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) and a company in which his son was a partner, according to government sources on Friday.

It is to be noted that the Chief Secretary Kumar and ILBS have not immediately responded to the allegations.

Atishi’s “supplementary report” submitted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claims that the company was formed just 20 days after Kumar’s appointment as chief secretary on April 20, 2022.

The report follows an earlier one submitted by Atishi on a land acquisition matter in south west Delhi’s Bamnoli village.

Naresh Kumar, as chief secretary, also served as the chairman of the ILBS governing council.

In a meeting on December 6, 2022, the council decided to establish a virtual or augmented reality lab at the institute, launched by Kumar on January 14.

The report alleges that an MoU between Kumar’s son’s company and ILBS for collaboration on research and studies was executed on January 24, claiming the company was chosen without competitive bidding and without due diligence.

The report suggests a violation of All India Services Conduct Rules and recommends Kumar’s suspension and investigation by the CBI. The earlier 670-page report alleged Kumar’s “prima facie complicity” in a land acquisition matter involving a potential windfall gain of Rs 897 crore for stakeholders.