CBI arrests six Delhi transport officials in corruption crackdown
New Delhi: In a major post-Assembly election crackdown, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested six officials from the Delhi Transport Department on charges of corruption and bribery, officials said on Wednesday.
According to sources, the arrests follow multiple complaints alleging widespread corruption in the department.
The CBI launched a thorough surveillance operation to verify these claims before taking action.
Upon investigation, authorities found prima facie evidence indicating corruption at various levels, leading to the arrests.
The Delhi Transport Department has a long administrative history. The Government of India’s Ministry of Transport took over the city’s bus services in May 1948, forming the Delhi Transport Service after finding the existing services by Gwalior and Northern India Transport Company Ltd. inadequate.
In 1950, the Delhi Road Transport Authority was established under the Road Transport Corporation Act. It later became part of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 1958. However, a Planning Commission Working Group found inefficiencies and revenue losses within the transport system, leading the central government to take over management in 1971 through the Delhi Road Transport Laws (Amendment) Act.
The Delhi Transport Undertaking (DTU), previously run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, ceased operations, and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was formally established. Initially functioning under the administrative control of the central government, DTC was handed over to the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi on August 5, 1996.
This latest CBI action marks the first major move by the investigative agency following the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) electoral defeat, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a historic comeback in Delhi after 27 years. The BJP secured 48 out of 70 Assembly seats, reducing AAP to 22, while Congress failed to win a single seat for the third consecutive election.
Following the poll results, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena issued an official notification announcing the dissolution of the seventh Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, effective February 8.
The political shift in Delhi came after a decade-long AAP rule. Outgoing Chief Minister Atishi, who retained her Kalkaji seat by defeating BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri with a margin of 3,521 votes, submitted her resignation to the L-G on February 9.