Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday sent a report by the vigilance department on alleged corruption charges against Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, and called for the immediate removal of the bureaucrat.

Kumar has been accused of misusing his position to facilitate an alliance for a company founded by his son with the state-run Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) by means of bending rules of the institution with regard to tenders, sources said.

The matter pertains to award of a contract to MetaMix technologies for making an AI software for ILBS hospital, without issuing any tender for the same as per due procedure.

It is also alleged that the above mentioned company lacks experience of developing the software, and was formed only seven months ago.

Notably, the chief secretary is also the chairperson of the ILBS Hospital’s governing council, which manages all the affairs of the institution.

However, Naresh Kumar has called the allegations mentioned in the report as “ridiculous and rubbish,” the sources added further.

Meanwhile, amid inquiry by Vigilance Minister Atishi, it was also revealed that chief secretary’s son also the Founder or Director in several other companies, and, many of such entities have been awarded contracts by government agencies, including in Delhi.

The source quoting the report further said, “In a textbook case of nepotism, Chief Secretary influenced the resources and expertise of ILBS to be used to develop MetaMix’s technology free-of-cost, even getting ILBS to play a role in promoting and marketing the technology. All of this was achieved through signing of a MoU on a nomination basis with MetaMix… which has been modelled as an all-in-one success recipe for Naresh Kumar’s son’s startup.”

However, dismissing the claims regarding the report, a statement by ILBS said, “The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) vehemently denies all media reports regarding any payment to any vendor for the development of Al software.”

The ILBS further said that the institution did not issue any such purchase order or made any payment to any software developer or company.

The institution further termed the allegations as ‘baseless,’ adding that it is committed to transparency and ethical practices.