The Delhi Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) on Tuesday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Water Minister Satyendar Kumar Jain, former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO Udit Prakash Rai, and four others in connection with alleged irregularities in the tendering process for upgradation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the national capital.
According to a statement issued by the ACB, the arrests were made in connection with a case registered by the agency on May 11, 2024, under Sections 7, 7A, 9 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 420, 409, 418 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. The case was registered following a complaint by the Delhi government’s Directorate of Vigilance.
The other accused arrested on Tuesday were Ankit Srivastava, a former contractual consultant with the DJB; Nagendra Yadav, proprietor of AN Enterprises; Raja Kumar Kurra, owner of Euroteck Environment Pvt. Ltd.; and Pankaj Verma, proprietor of Srijanhar.
‘Undue advantage’
The ACB said the investigation found that the tender contained restrictive technical specifications and conditions that allegedly favoured Euroteck Environment, limiting competition and giving the private entity an undue advantage.
A proposed pilot study was not conducted, investigators found, while restrictive conditions on the technology and media to be used were incorporated into the tender. Essential parameters for treated effluents were allegedly excluded, and the technical specifications were later altered, with significant financial implications for the government exchequer.
The financial investigation also revealed an alleged flow of commission or bribes through intermediary entities, including Srijanhar and AN Enterprises, the ACB stated, adding that substantial amounts were transferred to the proprietorship concern of Nagendra Yadav from entities linked to Euroteck.
According to the ACB, Mr. Rai received a bribe of ₹1.52 crore in his and his relatives’ bank accounts through banking channels from AN Enterprises, which was owned by Mr. Yadav. The agency alleged that the amount was used to purchase immovable property and that the funds transferred through AN Enterprises were sourced from Euroteck, the technology provider.
The investigation also revealed alleged communications between Mr. Kurra, Mr. Yadav and Mr. Srivastava regarding meetings, tender conditions, corrigenda and other matters connected with the STP tender, the agency said.
The agency is examining Mr. Jain’s alleged role in the tendering process and the subsequent transactions and further investigation is under way.
Political slugfest
The arrests triggered a political confrontation in the Capital, with Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Harsh Malhotra calling on AAP chief and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to accept the “crimes” allegedly committed by his government. “The law may take some time, but Satyendar Jain will certainly be punished,” Mr. Malhotra said.
“The STP scam and the arrests made in connection with it have made it clear why not a single STP was installed on any drain during the 10-year rule of the Kejriwal government and why the Yamuna became even more polluted over those 10 years,” he added.
Terming the allegations “fake”, Mr. Kejriwal claimed that the arrests were part of the BJP’s “dictatorship”. “The BJP has once again had Satyendar Jain arrested. Everyone remembers the terrible ordeal he was subjected to when they imprisoned him previously. The earlier case was fabricated, and this one, too, will prove to be false,” Mr. Kejriwal said in a post on X.
“How long will this BJP dictatorship continue? They imprison whomever they please by levelling false allegations. Their lies will be exposed to the nation once again, but who will compensate for the time spent in jail and the mental harassment endured? No matter how much they resort to dictatorship, the end of the Modi government is inevitable,” he said, adding that “AAP and the people of the country stood firmly with Mr. Jain”.