Former Delhi PWD minister Satyendar Jain booked for taking bribe to ‘waive off penalty’

Satyendra Jain, who was the PWD minister during the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi, seems to be in trouble. Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has taken a big step against Jain, who is one of the most special lieutenants of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. An FIR has been registered against him in a serious case of corruption.

It is alleged that he took a bribe of Rs 7 crore to waive a fine (Liquidated Damages) of Rs 16 crore in the CCTV project worth Rs 571 crore.

ACB has registered an FIR against him. It is alleged that Jain took a bribe of Rs 7 crore in exchange for waiving a fine of Rs 16 crore.

What is the whole matter?

The Delhi government had started a project worth Rs 571 crore in 2019 to install 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras in 70 assembly constituencies, which was handed over to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and its contractors. However, due to the work not being completed on time, the Delhi government imposed a fine of Rs 16 crore on BEL and contractors.

But now the ACB has received a complaint that this fine was waived without any concrete reason. It is alleged that in return, Satyendra Jain was given a bribe of Rs 7 crore, which was given through contractors who were assigned the work ahead of BEL.

ACB got information through media report

The ACB first got information about this alleged scam through a media report. The report claimed that the fine given to BEL has been waived under a major corruption.

When ACB officials investigated the matter, a BEL official confirmed these allegations and gave full information. After this, ACB started investigation by taking necessary documents from PWD and BEL.

ACB took approval to register FIR

According to the complainant, this bribe was given through different contractors. These contractors were ordered a new consignment of CCTV cameras from BEL and their order value was deliberately increased. A bribe of Rs 7 crore was arranged from this increased amount.

Since Satyendra Jain was a minister in the Delhi government, ACB had to first take government approval (Section 17-A, POC Act) to register an FIR against him. After getting this approval, ACB registered an FIR against Satyendra Jain.

FIR has been registered under several sections

ACB has registered FIR number 04/2025 against Satyendra Jain. This case has been registered under sections 7 and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The ACB is now investigating the matter in depth to find out who else is involved in it.

The complaint also states that the CCTV project was not implemented properly. Many cameras were faulty from the beginning and their quality was also very poor. Now the ACB is also investigating whether there are more scams in this project.

What will happen next in this case?

The ACB will now investigate the role of all the persons involved in this case, including the role of PWD and BEL officials. After the investigation, the ACB will decide what further legal action can be taken against Satyendra Jain and other culprits.

Summary

This case can create a big storm in Delhi politics, as the Aam Aadmi Party government has always claimed to be against corruption. Now it remains to be seen what further revelations are made in this case and in which direction the ACB investigation goes.

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