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The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has registered a case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Public Works Department (PWD) minister Satyendar Jain over alleged corruption in a ₹571 crore CCTV project. Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the case revolves around claims that Jain accepted a ₹7 crore bribe in exchange for waiving liquidated damages worth ₹16 crore imposed on Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for project delays.
The Allegations
According to an ANI report, the FIR was filed under Sections 7 and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), following approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case stems from a complaint that alleges Jain improperly waived penalties imposed on BEL despite repeated delays in the installation of CCTV cameras across Delhi’s 70 assembly constituencies.
Investigators claim that despite the project being poorly executed, with many cameras found non-functional at the time of handover, BEL was awarded additional contracts for installing another 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras. Officials further allege that payments for the extended work were inflated to accommodate bribes involving multiple vendors.
Political Reactions
The case has triggered a political storm, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AAP exchanging sharp accusations.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva termed the development “proof of AAP’s deep-rooted corruption,” accusing both former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain of masterminding the scam. “The BJP had flagged this issue earlier, which led to a vigilance probe in 2023 that found Jain guilty. But Kejriwal stalled the investigation to protect him,” alleged Sachdeva. He further asserted that with the ACB now filing an FIR, Kejriwal’s role could also come under scrutiny.
On the other hand, AAP dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Party spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar called the FIR a “desperate attempt” by the BJP to malign its leaders. “This is nothing but a political witch-hunt. BJP is misusing agencies against opposition leaders while turning a blind eye to defaulters who have fled the country,” she said.
AAP leader Atishi also weighed in on the matter, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “When investigative agencies leave their work and start political witch-hunting on orders from the top, similar statistics emerge.” She shared a document claiming that out of 193 cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against political leaders in the last decade, only two resulted in convictions.
The ACB has already questioned a BEL officer, who reportedly confirmed the allegations and submitted a detailed complaint. Authorities are currently scrutinizing documents from the PWD and BEL for further evidence. Over a month ago, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had sought the President’s approval to prosecute Jain under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, based on evidence provided by the ED.
(Inputs from ANI and PTI)
