New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government 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 Jain is accused of waiving a ₹16 crore penalty imposed on Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in exchange for a ₹7 crore bribe routed through contractors.
The case, 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), was registered after obtaining approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the competent authority.
Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) Madhur Verma stated, “Bribery of ₹7 crore was allegedly arranged to be paid to Satyendar Jain to waive off the ₹16 crore penalty for delays in CCTV installation.” Despite persistent delays, BEL was awarded further contracts for an additional 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras, raising concerns over the project’s execution and integrity.
Opposition leaders have strongly reacted to the development. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that Jain and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were the “masterminds” behind the alleged scam. He further claimed, “The BJP had flagged this issue earlier, leading to a vigilance probe that found Jain guilty in 2023. However, Kejriwal halted the file to shield him.”
Meanwhile, AAP leaders have dismissed the FIR as politically motivated. Delhi Leader of Opposition Atishi termed the case a “political witch hunt” against senior AAP leaders. She shared a document on X highlighting the BJP-led Centre’s response in Parliament, which stated that out of 193 cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against politicians in the last 10 years, only two had resulted in convictions. “When investigating agencies leave their work and start political witch-hunting on the orders of the boss,” she wrote. AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar echoed similar sentiments, calling the FIR a “desperate attempt” by the BJP to target AAP leaders.
Officials claim that the CCTV project was executed poorly, with many cameras found non-functional at the time of handover. Payments were allegedly inflated to facilitate bribes involving multiple vendors. The ACB has already questioned a BEL officer, who reportedly confirmed the allegations and submitted a detailed complaint. Officials are now scrutinising documents from PWD and BEL for further evidence. Additionally, over a month ago, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sought the President’s approval to prosecute Jain under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. According to sources cited by ANI, the request was based on evidence gathered by the ED, which reportedly provided sufficient grounds for legal action.