New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was granted bail in the alleged Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sewage treatment plant tender case. Kejriwal questioned the reason behind Jain’s arrest and alleged that the case against the former minister was weak.
A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Satyendar Jain in the corruption case connected with alleged irregularities in the awarding of tenders for the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants under the Delhi Jal Board.
The court allowed Jain’s bail plea and directed him to furnish a personal bond of ₹2 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount. A detailed reasoned order explaining the court’s decision is awaited.
Jain had been sent to 14 days of judicial custody on August 19, after being arrested by the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with the case.
Reacting to the development, Kejriwal questioned why Jain had been arrested in the first place. He argued that the circumstances surrounding the arrest indicated that the investigating agency did not have sufficient grounds to keep the former minister in custody.
Kejriwal pointed out that Jain was not initially placed in police custody for questioning and was instead sent directly to judicial custody. He questioned how an accused could be arrested for interrogation without subsequently being subjected to police custody for questioning.
According to Kejriwal, the absence of police custody demonstrated what he described as the weakness of the case. He said that if investigators needed to question an accused following an arrest, police custody would ordinarily be sought before the person was sent to judicial custody.
Kejriwal also directly addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi while reacting to Jain’s bail. He questioned what the central government had achieved by arresting the former Delhi minister and subsequently seeing him obtain bail within a short period.
The AAP leader accused the Prime Minister of focusing excessively on sending political opponents and other individuals to jail rather than concentrating on the administration of the country.
Kejriwal’s remarks were strongly worded and extended beyond the specific legal case involving Jain. He criticised what he described as the government’s approach towards opposition leaders and accused the Prime Minister of using investigative agencies against people associated with his political opponents.
He also defended Satyendar Jain, describing him as a good person and alleging that he had been unnecessarily targeted. Kejriwal further criticised the manner in which the case had been handled.
The allegations made by Kejriwal are political claims and have not been established by a court. The corruption case against Jain remains subject to the ongoing legal process, and the grant of bail does not amount to a finding that the allegations are false or that the accused has been acquitted.
The case relates to tenders issued by the Delhi Jal Board for the augmentation and upgrading of sewage treatment plants. Jain was Delhi’s water minister when the tender in question was awarded to Euroteck Environmental Private Limited.
The ACB has alleged that the tendering process contained irregularities and that the conditions were manipulated in a manner that allegedly favoured the private company. According to the agency, the tender specifications were made heavily technology-oriented and were structured in a way that allegedly restricted competition.
The investigating agency has also alleged that the capacity of the Rohini sewage treatment plant was arbitrarily increased from 15 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD without an adequate technical feasibility study.
The ACB has alleged that this decision resulted in an estimated cost escalation of around ₹123 crore. The agency is examining whether the increase in capacity and related tender decisions were part of a larger conspiracy to benefit certain private entities.
Investigators have further alleged the existence of a financial trail involving commissions that were allegedly routed through intermediaries to bank accounts connected with various accused persons.
The case was registered in May 2024 following a complaint from the Directorate of Vigilance of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The complaint raised allegations of large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in connection with the DJB’s sewage treatment plant projects.
The ACB has arrested several individuals in connection with the case. Apart from Satyendar Jain, those arrested include former DJB CEO Udit Prakash Rai, who had served as a contractual consultant, as well as other individuals associated with the tendering process and private companies.
The agency has alleged that the tender process was influenced through the inclusion of restrictive technical specifications. Investigators are also examining communications and other evidence that they claim indicate coordination between government officials and private parties.
According to the ACB’s allegations, certain tender documents and conditions were exchanged between individuals connected with the case before being incorporated into the official tender documentation.
The agency has also claimed that a proposed pilot study was not carried out and that technical specifications were subsequently modified during the tender process. Investigators are examining whether these changes were made to benefit a particular company.
Satyendar Jain and his political associates have rejected the allegations. Jain, after the court proceedings, said that truth had prevailed and suggested that the case was connected to the period when he was previously jailed following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.
The latest bail order has now provided temporary relief to Jain while the underlying corruption case continues. The court’s detailed reasoning is expected to provide greater clarity on the considerations that led to the grant of bail.
Jain’s lawyer Vivek Jain said the former minister was expected to be released following the court’s decision. He said the court did not consider the allegations sufficient to justify keeping Jain incarcerated any longer.
The court has imposed a condition restricting Jain from travelling outside Delhi for more than two days without informing the investigating officer. Apart from the conditions attached to his bail, the detailed order is awaited.
The development has once again brought the political confrontation between the AAP and the BJP into focus. Kejriwal has repeatedly accused investigative agencies of being used to target opposition leaders, while the government and investigating agencies have maintained that corruption cases should be investigated independently of political affiliations.
The DJB case is significant because it concerns alleged irregularities in a major public infrastructure and water-management body. Sewage treatment plants form an important component of Delhi’s efforts to manage wastewater and reduce pollution in the city’s water systems.
The allegations centre not only on the tendering process but also on decisions concerning technical specifications, project capacity and the alleged financial trail associated with the contracts.
The ACB’s investigation will now continue despite Jain receiving bail. Bail allows an accused to remain outside custody while the legal proceedings continue and does not terminate the investigation or determine the final outcome of the case.
For the AAP, however, Jain’s release has provided an opportunity to renew its criticism of the BJP-led central government and question the necessity of the arrest.
Kejriwal’s latest comments also revive his broader criticism of the government’s use of investigative agencies. He has repeatedly argued that opposition leaders are being targeted through cases that he believes are politically motivated.
The BJP and investigating agencies have consistently maintained that allegations of corruption must be investigated and that legal action is based on evidence gathered during investigations rather than political considerations.
The case will now proceed through the judicial process, with investigators expected to continue examining the alleged tender manipulation and money trail. The accused will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations and present their defence as the proceedings progress.
The grant of bail to Satyendar Jain therefore marks an important development in the DJB tender case but does not bring the matter to an end. The detailed court order and subsequent investigation are likely to determine how the case develops further.
For now, Kejriwal has used Jain’s release to question the government’s decision to arrest the former Delhi minister, while the ACB’s allegations regarding tender manipulation, project cost escalation and an alleged financial trail remain before the legal system for determination.
Read More: Inside AAP Crisis: Why Leaders Are Revolting Against Arvind Kejriwal
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