Enforcement Directorate questions AAP leader Satyendar Jain in connection with Delhi Jal Board case

New Delhi [India], July 3 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
The 60-year-old politician deposed before the investigators at ED headquarters earlier this morning and the financial probe agency is examining his role in suspected financial misconduct during his tenure.
The case pertains to alleged procedural lapses and irregular contracts awarded under the DJB, which is responsible for water supply and sewage disposal in the capital.
Jain, who previously held the water portfolio in the Delhi government and also served as DJB Chairman, has been under the scrutiny of central agencies in multiple cases, including those involving money laundering.
According to the ED and other investigative agencies, several contracts issued by the DJB during Jain's tenure as the Water Minister are under scrutiny. These contracts allegedly involved inflated project costs, favouritism in awarding tenders, and possible kickbacks. The ED is probing whether money laundering was involved in siphoning off public funds through these deals.
The alleged irregularities came to light after complaints were filed and audit reports raised red flags regarding lapses in financial management and project implementation within the DJB. Based on these findings, ED registered a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case, and Jain's role as the supervising minister during the relevant period has become a focal point of the investigation.
This case adds to the legal troubles of Jain, who has previously been arrested in a separate money laundering case in 2022. and was released on interim bail in 2023 on health grounds.
The current questioning by the ED is aimed at uncovering the alleged financial trail and identifying key beneficiaries of the suspected irregularities.
On March 28 last year, ED had filed prosecution complaint against Jagdish Kumar Arora, the then Chief Engineer of DJB, Tejinder Pal Singh (close associate of Jagdish Kumar Arora), Anil Kumar Agarwal (proprietor of Integral Screw Industries, Sub-Contractor), DK Mittal (the then employee of NBCC) and NKG Infrastructure Limited (Contractor of DJB) in the case of Delhi Jal Board under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
ED initiated investigations in the case based on the complaint registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
According to the complaint, Arora allegedly took a bribe to award the flow meter contract of the Delhi Jal Board to NKG Infrastructure Ltd at a highly inflated cost of Rs 38 crore, despite the company not meeting the technical eligibility criteria.
ED investigation has revealed that the contractor, NKG Infrastructure Ltd, obtained the tender by submitting forged documents. "Arora awarded the contract to the said entity in return for bribe. The contract was awarded at Rs. 38 crore which was highly inflated.
After winning the bid, NKG Infrastructure Ltd sub-contracted the work to Integral Screws Ltd, a proprietorship firm of Anil Kumar Aggarwal as NKG Infrastructure did not have the competence to execute the same," ED has said.
According to the agency, the DJB had made a payment of Rs 24 crore, out of which only about Rs 14 crore was spent on the contract work, and the remaining amount was allegedly siphoned off and spent on bribes.
"Arora received a bribe of Rs 3.19 crore, out of which he transferred Rs 2 crore to other DJB officials and Aam Aadmi Party as election fund," ED had earlier mentioned.
ED had earlier conducted search operations on July 24, 2023 and November 17, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents and evidence.
ED had arrested Arora and Anil Kumar Aggarwal on January 31, 2024. ED had also provisionally attached various immovable properties belonging to the accused valued at Rs 8.8 crore.