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 the Rouse Avenue Courts directed Jain to be released on a bail bond of ₹2 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount. The court’s detailed order is yet to be released.
The case was registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) over alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) under the DJB. Jain was arrested on August 18 along with five other accused.
The ACB had opposed Jain’s bail plea, alleging that he played a key role in manipulating the tender process to favour Euroteck Environmental Pvt. Ltd., a private company. According to the agency, Jain, who was Delhi’s water minister at the time, allegedly acted in connivance with senior DJB officials, including former CEO Udit Prakash Rai.
The ACB claimed that several technical decisions related to the STP projects were changed without proper study or recommendations. One of the allegations relates to the Rohini STP, where the proposed capacity was allegedly increased from 15 million gallons per day (MGD) to 30 MGD. The agency said this led to an increase in the estimated project cost from ₹90 crore to ₹147 crore.
The agency also alleged that specifications provided by Euroteck officials were later incorporated into DJB tender documents through corrigenda. It claimed these changes restricted competition and ultimately helped Euroteck emerge as the sole technology supplier for the project.
The ACB further alleged that Jain was in contact with Vinod Chauhan, who it claimed was connected with hawala operators involved in the movement of alleged bribe money.
Defending Jain, senior advocate N Hariharan argued that the former minister had acted on recommendations made by the technical committee. He said the decisions were policy matters and Jain had not imposed his personal opinion on the process.
The corruption case was registered on May 11, 2024, following a complaint by the Delhi government's Directorate of Vigilance. The complaint alleged large-scale irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the DJB tender process.
The ACB said its investigation found that three companies were initially awarded tenders worth around ₹1,546 crore, with the total value later rising to ₹1,943 crore.
Jain’s bail comes as the investigation into the alleged multi-layered corruption case continues.
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