Arvind Kejriwal emerged as an unlikely bomb-thrower of Indian politics when he went after some of the country's most powerful figures over suspected corruption back in 2012. But the tables appear to have turned this year.

Documents accessed by India Today point to possible malfeasance in Delhi's AAP government headed by who once became the face of the nation's anti-graft movement.

Under probe now is what appears to be compelling evidence of how one of the chief minister's closest relatives might have submitted forged bills for carrying out a civic project commissioned by the PWD department, currently under minister Satyendar Jain.

Surender Kumar Bansal, the late husband of Kejriwal's sister-in-law, owned the Renu Construction company that was awarded a drainage project in Bakoli village along NH-44 in north-west Delhi in 2015, papers show.

Renu Construction, according to official records, won the tender for quoting the lowest bid.

But the skeletons have now come tumbling out of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's closet. Documents reveal what appear to be fraudulent means the chief minister's relative might have adopted to fleece the state exchequer.

On paper, Bansal, now no more, is seen procuring construction material for the drainage system from a company called Mahadev Impex. But when India Today's teams visited its registered address at Sonepat's B-22 Industrial Area, the firm was nowhere to be found.

Nevertheless, bills as high as around Rs 2 crore, issued by the non-existent Mahadev Impex, had been subsequently cleared by Delhi's PWD department, pending completion of the project, show official documents obtained by non-profit Road Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO) in response to its RTI petition.

According to petitioner Viplava Awasthi, the chief minister is suspected of have violated laid-down procedures to favour his sister-in-law's husband, Bansal.

"We demand a thorough probe into the PWD's working. The chief minister doesn't appear to be above board. He must also be subject to investigation into the forgery case involving his relative," said Awasthi.

India Today has also accessed copy of an FIR filed recently by Delhi's anti-corruption bureau to inquire into the alleged scam.

This scandal implicating a key member of Kejriwal's extended family comes at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party is facing a barrage of allegations from its sacked minister Kapil Mishra, who has targeted the CM, his cabinet colleague Jain and even Bansal.

"Should we stop raising questions about how the entire Bansal family, Bansal's companies might have benefitted through wrongful land deals, illegal PWD bills just because he (Surender Bansal) is no more?" he told India Today on Tuesday. "Evidence that has come to my knowledge show execution of an illegal land deal and clearance of forged PWD bills worth Rs 10 crore," Mishra claimed when asked to explain how the AAP government had allegedly favoured Bansal.

The chief minister's family has, however, tried to put up a strong defence, rejecting the rebel's accusations as scripted by political rivals.

Sunita Kejriwal, the CM's wife, has issued a series of stinging tweets over Mishra's charges.

My brother in law is no more n this stupid man is speaking all written script without any mind. - Sunita Kejriwal (@KejriwalSunita) May 8, 2017

Meantime, Delhi's government has denied involvement in the PWD drain scandal.

"This contract (to Bansal) was given before AAP came to power, after competitive bidding in January 2015. We came to power in Feb 2015," said public-works minister Jain. "Ministers are not involved in payments of every company. There are thousands of them working in Delhi," he added.

Asked about forged bills Bansal is alleged to have submitted for clearance to his department in the name of a bogus company, Jain said the question should be put forward to the PWD secretary and not him.

Some of Bansal's contracts, Jain claimed, were also cancelled by the AAP government.

With inputs from

Parbina Purkayastha and Ankit Tyagi

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