The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday opposed the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendra Jain, alleging that he played a “vital role” in manipulating Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sewage treatment plant (STP) tenders to favour a private company.
During the meeting, it was decided that a pilot run of Euroteck’s proposed technology would be conducted at the Coronation STP and that both suspended media and fixed media technologies would be permitted in the tender. In its 13-page written submission, the ACB alleged that Jain, during his tenure as Delhi’s water minister, connived with senior DJB officials, including former CEO and co-accused Udit Prakash Rai, to alter technical recommendations, increase the capacity of an STP project and revise cost estimates to tailor tender conditions in favour of Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd. The alleged manipulation began at a meeting on August 31, 2021, attended by Jain, senior DJB officials and Euroteck representatives, according to the ACB. The ACB further alleged that the capacity of the Rohini STP was increased from 15 MGD to 30 MGD when Jain approved the proposal, despite the technical wing recommending an increase only to 25 MGD. The change was made without any proper study or technical recommendation and increased the project cost from ₹ 90 crore to ₹ 147 crore, according to the agency.
The ACB further alleged that Jain was in contact with Vinod Chauhan, who, according to the agency, was linked to hawala operators allegedly involved in the movement of bribe money along with senior DJB officials. Summing up its case, the ACB said Jain was “not a mere approving authority” but had actively participated in manipulating the tender process. It also alleged that he did not cooperate with the investigation and claimed he told investigators that he was not a subject expert and had approved the proposals in good faith.
Appearing for Jain, senior advocate N Hariharan argued that Jain had acted solely on the recommendations of the technical committee and could not be held liable. “It was a policy decision. I never thrust upon my opinion. It was based on the recommendations of the technical committee,” he submitted.
The case was registered on May 11, 2024, following a complaint by the Delhi government’s Directorate of Vigilance alleging large-scale irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process for augmentation and upgradation of DJB STPs. Its investigation has found that three companies were awarded tenders initially estimated at ₹ 1,546 crore, with the value subsequently increasing to ₹ 1,943 crore, according to the ACB.
