Satyendar Jain gets bail in Delhi Jal Board corruption case, court sets Rs 2 lakh bond

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in a corruption case linked to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

Special Judge Digvinay Singh of Rouse Avenue Courts directed Jain’s release on a bail bond of Rs 2 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount. The court’s detailed order is yet to be released.

ACB alleges tender manipulation

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which opposed Jain’s bail plea, alleged that he played a “vital role in manipulating” tenders for sewage treatment plants to benefit Euroteck Environmental Pvt. Ltd.

In its written response, the agency alleged that Jain, during his tenure as Delhi’s water minister, “connived” with senior DJB officials, including former CEO Udit Prakash Rai, to alter technical recommendations and project specifications.

“Satyendra Jain played a vital role in the manipulation process and has criminal antecedent. It has been revealed that Jain, along with former DJB CEO Udit Rai, arbitrarily changed tender proposals without proper study or technical recommendation,” the ACB said.

The agency said a meeting involving Jain, DJB officials and Euroteck representatives was held on August 31, 2021. It alleged that decisions taken during the meeting were later changed during the tender process.

STP capacity allegedly increased

The ACB further alleged that the capacity of the Rohini sewage treatment plant was increased from 15 MGD to 30 MGD after Jain’s approval, despite the technical wing having proposed an increase only to 25 MGD.

“This increased the estimated cost of the project from ₹90 crore to ₹147 crore,” the ACB said.

The agency also alleged that specifications supplied by Euroteck were incorporated into tender documents, putting other bidders at a disadvantage.

“These changes were made in connivance with senior DJB officials and intermediaries and were intended to favour Euroteck, while putting other potential bidders at a disadvantage”.

Jain denies wrongdoing

Senior advocate N Hariharan, representing Jain, argued that the former minister had acted on the recommendations of the technical committee.

“It was a policy decision. I never thrust upon my opinion. It was based on the recommendations of the technical committee”.

Jain was arrested on August 18 along with five others.

The case was registered in May 2024 following allegations of large-scale irregularities in DJB’s STP tendering process. The ACB said tenders initially estimated at Rs 1,546 crore were eventually valued at Rs 1,943 crore.