Former AAP Minister Satyendar Jain, 5 Others Arrested By Delhi ACB In Alleged Sewage Treatment Plant Scam

New Delhi: The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Tuesday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Kumar Jain, along with 5 other people, over alleged corruption and irregularities in the tendering process for sewage treatment plants under the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The arrests relate to an FIR filed on May 11, in the year 2024, that accused officials and private players of large-scale manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the augmentation and upgradation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) operated by the DJB.

The officials stated that the 6 accused were questioned before being taken into custody on August 18, as the investigating team claimed to have found evidence of a nexus between public functionaries and private firms to favour a specific technology provider.

As per information, alongside Satyendra Jain, the ACB named former Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai as an accused. The other 4 held are former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, Nagendra Yadav, proprietor of AN Enterprises, Raja Kumar Kurra, owner of Euroteck Environment Pvt Ltd, and Pankaj Verma, proprietor of Srijanhar.

According to the agency, the probe focused on how tender specifications were allegedly crafted to restrict competition and benefit one company. The investigating team stated that electronic evidence pointed to exchanges between private persons, government officers and intermediaries about tender conditions, corrigendums and other documents, prior to their inclusion in the DJB’s STP notice.

What The ACB Alleges

The ACB alleged that the tender contained restrictive technical specifications and conditions that were designed to favour Euroteck Environment Pvt Ltd. It alleged that the proposed pilot study was never carried out and that key parameters for treated wastewater were omitted. The probe agency claimed that the technical specifications and materials were also changed, resulting in massive financial loss to the government.

The investigating team further alleged a money trail linked to the process, with funds moved allegedly as commission or bribes through intermediary entities, including Srijanhar and AN Enterprises. The substantial sums were transferred to Nagendra Yadav’s proprietorship concern from entities connected to the technology provider, and then allegedly onward to government officials and their relatives, the ACB stated.

The agency has specifically alleged that Udit Prakash Rai received Rs 1.52 crore in his own and his relatives’ bank accounts via banking channels from AN Enterprises, and that the amount was later used to buy immovable property. The ACB stated that the funds routed through AN Enterprises originated with Euroteck, and that the full trail and alleged proceeds of crime are now under examination.

The officials also said that communications between Raja Kumar Kurra, Nagendra Yadav and Ankit Srivastava discussed meetings, tender terms and corrigendums, and suggested that certain restrictive conditions were introduced or modified to favour Euroteck.

AAP Calls Political Vendetta

Meanwhile, after the arrests became public, the AAP hit back, calling the action politically motivated. Former Delhi CM and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal alleged that Satyendra Jain, who spent months in jail in a separate money laundering case before securing bail in 2024, had once again been targeted at the BJP’s behest, and that the earlier case against him was fabricated.

Kejriwal accused the BJP of using false charges and imprisonment to go after opponents, and asked how long the alleged “dictatorship” would last. He said that the new case would also be proved false, and questioned who would compensate those targeted for time spent in custody and for mental distress. “Satendra Jain ji has once again been arrested at the behest of the BJP. Just a short while ago, everyone still remembers the ordeal they put him through by throwing him in jail. The previous case was fabricated too, and this case will also be proven to be fake. How long will the BJP's dictatorship continue like this? Whoever they feel like, they slap false charges on and toss into jail. Their lies will once again be exposed before the nation, but who will compensate for the time spent in jail and the mental torture endured? The cup of the BJP's sins has now overflowed. No matter how much," Kejriwal said in a post on X in Hindi.

On the other hand, the ACB stated that further investigation is underway into the alleged manipulation of tenders, the flow of funds and the roles of other individuals. The agency noted that the case was registered following a complaint by the Directorate of Vigilance about irregularities in the STP upgradation process.