New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra on Wednesday said the arrest of former Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with the alleged Delhi Jal Board scam case was the “beginning of the fruits” of the alleged misdeeds of AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain.
Speaking on Jain’s arrest, Malhotra alleged that the Delhi Jal Board and Sewage Treatment Plant scams had contributed to pollution in the Yamuna and claimed that Kejriwal had repeatedly apologised to the people of Delhi and sought more time.
He alleged that officials of the Delhi Jal Board, contractors, and ministers of the then government were involved in the alleged scam and said the ACB’s initial investigation had revealed a money trail.
“It will be better if they apologise to the people of Delhi now and confess to their crime,” Malhotra said.
Responding to questions over AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that Jain’s arrest was made under pressure from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Malhotra questioned the basis of the claim and said the investigation agencies had to perform their duties.
He said the money trail uncovered during the investigation had no connection with Amit Shah and maintained that the matter concerned Jain’s alleged involvement.
Malhotra said arguments over whether Jain was taken into police custody and whether interrogation was required were technicalities that would be addressed during the court proceedings.
“Currently, he has been arrested through legal procedures, and the law will take its own course,” Malhotra said.
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government on Tuesday arrested six persons, including former Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Kumar Jain, in connection with an alleged corruption and criminal conspiracy case related to the tendering process for the upgradation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) under the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
The arrests were made in connection with an FIR registered on May 11, 2024, under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code related to cheating, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy.
The accused arrested in the case include Satyendar Kumar Jain, former CEO of Delhi Jal Board; Udit Prakash Rai (IAS), former contractual consultant of DJB; Ankit Srivastava; Nagendra Yadav, proprietor of M/s AN Enterprises; Raja Kumar Kurra, owner of M/s Euroteck Environment Pvt. Ltd, and Pankaj Verma, proprietor of M/s Srijanhar.
According to the ACB, the case was initiated following a complaint by the Directorate of Vigilance, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), which flagged alleged irregularities in the DJB tender process for augmenting and upgrading STPs.
The agency alleged that the tender process was manipulated to favour a particular private technology firm, M/s Euroteck Environment Pvt. Ltd, through restrictive technical specifications that allegedly prevented participation by other bidders. (ANI)
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