Did Satyendar Jain take ₹7 crore bribe for CCTV installation project? What does ACB allege against AAP leader?

Satyendar Jain, the former Public Works Department minister and senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is facing allegations of corruption in connection with a ₹571 crore CCTV installation project in Delhi. A case was filed on Wednesday against Jain by the Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).

The FIR was registered on Tuesday after obtaining prior sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act from the competent authority, said Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) Madhur Verma.

What are the allegations against Satyendar Jain in CCTV case?

PTI quoted Verma as saying that Satyendar Jain arbitrarily waived off liquidated damages amounting to ₹16 crore that had been imposed on Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for delay in installing CCTV cameras across Delhi. 

The statement by Verma, quoted by PTI, alleged that the waiver was granted after Satyendar Jain received a bribe of ₹7 crore.

Verma further said that multiple complaints have suggested that the CCTV installation project was executed in a shoddy manner, with several cameras found to be non-functional at the time of handover.

What is the case against Satyendar Jain?

The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch has registered a case against Satyendar Jain, accusing him of accepting a bribe of ₹7 crore to waive liquidated damages amounting to ₹16 crore that were imposed on the company, which got the tender to install CCTVs, over project delay.

The corruption case against AAP leader Satyendar Jain is based on a news report which claimed that a bribe of ₹7 crore was arranged for the former Delhi minister, who was the nodal officer for the CCTV project, in exchange for waiving penalties imposed on the CCTV installation company and its contractors.

The penalties were initially levied in August 2019 by the previous AAP government due to significant delays in installing 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras across Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies.

According to the PTI report, during verification, an officer of the CCTV installation company provided a detailed complaint supporting the allegations.

Reports indicate that despite significant delays, the same company was awarded additional contracts for installing another 1.4 lakh cameras.

Where is Satyendar Jain now?

Satyendar Jain is currently in jail. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 30, 2022, on allegations of money laundering and has been in custody since then.

Despite being granted bail in some cases, Jain remains incarcerated due to ongoing legal proceedings and other charges against him.