AAP leader Satyendar Jain granted bail in DJB STP tender scam case

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board's sewage treatment plant (STP) tender process.

Moreover, the court has directed Jain to furnish personal bail bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties. Jain, who was produced physically before Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh, argued that the tenders were floated in October 2022 when he was already in custody in another case and that there was no evidence linking him to the tender process. His counsel, senior advocate N Hariharan, also argued that all evidence had been collected and Jain's further custody was not required.

The ACB has alleged that the technical proposal for augmenting the Rohini STP was altered and the capacity was increased from 15 MGD to 30 MGD without a technical recommendation or feasibility study. It further alleged that the inclusion of Rohini and Narela STPs and exclusion of Okhla Phase-V resulted in an estimated cost escalation of around Rs 123 crore. The agency has also alleged that a 2% commission deal was struck during meetings in December 2022 and that intermediary Nagendra Yadav facilitated communication between DJB officials and representatives of Euroteck. The ACB further alleged that mandatory CPCB environmental parameters were diluted in the tender documents, giving undue advantage to the technology provider.