The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today carried out raids at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with an alleged hospital construction scam. The federal agency is reportedly conducting searches at nearly 13 locations across Delhi as part of its probe.

According to officials, the alleged scam is linked to projects worth around ₹5,590 crore, which were sanctioned by the AAP-led Delhi government between 2018 and 2019 for the construction of 24 hospitals. The projects, including ICU facilities, were initially slated for completion within six months, but even after three years, the construction remains incomplete.

Sources claimed that although ₹800 crore has already been spent, only about 50% of the work has been finished. In one case, the cost of upgrading LNJP Hospital reportedly escalated from ₹488 crore to ₹1,135 crore, despite minimal progress on the ground. Investigators also highlighted that construction began at several sites without proper approvals and pointed to suspicious involvement of certain contractors.

The probe also covers alleged delays in implementing the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS), which has been pending since 2016. Former Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, already under investigation in other cases, has also been named in this inquiry.

Reacting to the raids, AAP leader Manish Sisodia dismissed the allegations, stating that Bharadwaj was not the health minister at the time of the supposed irregularities. He alleged that the case was politically motivated, similar to the investigations against Satyendar Jain, and accused central agencies of targeting AAP leaders with fabricated charges.