Sunita Somvanshi
A Delhi court sent former water minister Satyendar Jain and four others to 14-day judicial custody on Wednesday, deepening a corruption investigation that centers on the tendering process for Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plant projects.
The arrests followed a late-night operation by the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on August 18. The case traces back to a complaint filed in May 2024 by the Directorate of Vigilance, which accused unnamed public servants of manipulating tender conditions across ten STP augmentation and upgradation projects of the Delhi Jal Board.
Jain, who served as Delhi’s water minister and chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, faces allegations that technical specifications were altered to favor a specific technology provider. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already named Jain in a money-laundering prosecution complaint filed in December 2025, assessing the total proceeds of crime at Rs 17.70 crore.
Joint Commissioner of Police Vikramjit Singh said in a press statement that six persons, including the then-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, were arrested for their alleged roles in manipulating the technical specifications of tenders.
Money trail and asset attachment
The ED investigation found that four tenders worth approximately Rs 1,943 crore were affected by the alleged manipulation. Instead of issuing technology-neutral tenders, the technical conditions were reportedly modified to specify a particular treatment process — integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) with fixed media — a technology supplied by Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd.
According to the ED’s findings, AN Enterprises received Rs 1.52 crore from Euroteck and an entity linked to the company’s managing director through what investigators described as bogus invoices for technical services that were never provided. An additional Rs 2.50 crore was allegedly received through hawala channels. The ACB separately identified roughly Rs 5 crore in hawala and banking transactions tied to the case.
Movable and immovable properties worth Rs 15.36 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned by Jain were provisionally attached in December 2025.
Court proceedings and bail
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh at Rouse Avenue Courts ordered Jain, former DJB CEO Udit Prakash Rai, Nagendra Yadav, Raja Kumar Kurra, and Pankaj Verma into 14-day judicial custody. Ankit Srivastava, a former DJB consultant, was remanded to two days of police custody for questioning.
Jain’s counsel moved a bail application on Wednesday, arguing that the arrest was politically motivated ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. The court issued notice to the ACB on the bail plea and a reasoned order is awaited.
From his hospital bed after the arrest, Jain told reporters: I was the minister, I went by what the engineers said. A minister doesn’t know what’s happening in the tender. He added that the decision to upgrade existing STPs was part of a political commitment to clean the Yamuna river, with a target to improve its water quality before the next election.
Jain also stated that the tender was floated in December, six or seven months after he left the portfolio — referring to his removal from the water ministry in May 2022.
What happens next
The case now moves to the evidence-gathering phase. The ACB has indicated that its investigation against Vinod Chauhan — a relative of one of the accused — remains underway, and a notice has been issued for him to join the probe.
The Rouse Avenue Court will hear the bail applications at a subsequent hearing. Until then, all six accused remain in judicial custody. The outcome of this case will be closely watched by political observers, as it marks one of the most high-profile corruption prosecutions of a former minister in Delhi’s recent history.
Related: Delhi among world’s most polluted cities | Punjab Assembly elections 2026 coverage
Primary source: The Hindu – Delhi court sends Satyendar Jain to judicial custody | Delhi Government Anti-Corruption Branch | The Hindu – Case registered in May 2024 | India Today – Rs 17.70 crore proceedings of crime | India Today – Four tenders worth Rs 1,943 crore | Rouse Avenue Courts – Delhi Judiciary
