Satyendar Jain Blames Punjab Polls for Arrest in Delhi Jal Board Corruption Case

Jain, who had spent nearly 18 months in jail in a money laundering case in 2022, was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Tuesday over alleged manipulation of a tender process at the Delhi Jal Board. While being escorted to the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi, Jain told the media, “It is done because of the Punjab elections”.

Jain and five other accused, including former Delhi Jal Board CEO Udit Prakash Rai, were produced before the court.

Jain’s lawyer, senior Advocate N Hariharan, later termed the arrest “made against the law”. He said the ACB did not provide the accused with the grounds for their arrest.

“The ACB did not provide any grounds for arrest to the accused. The Enforcement Department filed a chargesheet in this case, but no arrests were made. The ACB also called for questioning in this case and arrested him,” Hariharan said.

According to the lawyer, Jain has been accused of deliberately changing the standards of an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant), while the meeting notes indicate otherwise. “The grounds for the arrest are completely false. There is no evidence that Jain received any bribe money. The arrest is completely illegal,” he said.

The anti-corruption branch said the Directorate of Vigilance had filed a complaint regarding large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process related to the upgradation of sewage treatment plants of the Delhi Jal Board.

According to the ACB, its investigation found that the tendering process allegedly contained restrictive technical specifications and conditions favouring a specific technology provider, Euroteck Environment Pvt Ltd. The agency alleged that a proposed pilot study was not conducted, restrictive conditions were introduced and some essential parameters related to the treated effluent were excluded.

“The investigation also revealed that Udit Prakash Rai, the then CEO of DJB, received a bribe to the tune of Rs 1.52 crore in his and his relatives' bank accounts through banking channels from M/s AN Enterprises, a proprietorship concern of Nagendra Yadav, and that the said amount was allegedly utilised for purchase of immovable property,” the Anti-Corruption Branch said.

Along with Jain and Rai, former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, proprietor of M/s AN Enterprises Nagendra Yadav, owner of M/2 Euroteck Environment Pvt Ltd Raja Kumar Kurra, and proprietor of M/s Srijanhar Pankaj Verma were also arrested in the case.

The Aam Aadmi Party has criticised Jain’s arrest and called it political.

“How many more proofs are needed that the BJP is scared of the AAP? At the time of that Jal Board tender, Satyendar ji was in jail. How did he become responsible from jail? The real reason is that Satyendar Jain is the AAP co-in-charge of Punjab and elections are coming up there,” AAP National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda wrote on X.

AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was also jailed in connection with the liquor policy case, alleged that Jain was arrested at the behest of the BJP.

“Satyendar Jain has once again been arrested at the behest of the BJP. Everyone still remembers the ordeal they put him through by throwing him in jail a short time ago. The previous case was fabricated, and this case will also be proven fake,” he wrote in Hindi.

The arrest has brought the Delhi Jal Board tender case and the political allegations surrounding Jain’s role into focus as the legal proceedings against the six accused continue.