Former Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Kumar Jain and former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO Udit Prakash Rai were among six people arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) on Tuesday in an alleged corruption and tender-manipulation case linked to the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the national capital.
The arrests relate to an FIR registered on May 11, 2024, at the ACB police station following a complaint by the GNCTD’s Directorate of Vigilance. The case has been registered under Sections 7, 7A, 9 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, along with Sections 420, 409, 418 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
The ACB said its analysis of electronic evidence revealed exchanges involving tender conditions, corrigendums and other project-related documents.
The investigation concerns alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process for DJB’s STP projects, according to the ACB. The agency said these conditions limited competition and allegedly gave an undue advantage to the selected private entity. It said restrictive conditions concerning the technology and media to be used were incorporated into the tender, while important parameters related to treated effluent were left out. The technical specifications were later changed, leading to significant financial implications for the government exchequer, according to the agency. The ACB said further investigation is underway.
Investigators have alleged that the tender included restrictive technical specifications and conditions that favoured a particular technology provider, M/s Euroteck Environment Private Limited. The ACB further alleged that a proposed pilot study for the STP upgradation work was never conducted. The investigation also focused on alleged links between private individuals, public servants and intermediaries involved in the tendering process. The arrests mark a major development in the investigation into alleged corruption and irregularities in the DJB’s STP upgradation projects.
