Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has authorized an investigation into former Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain, accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 7 crore from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) officials. The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) will lead the probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The alleged bribe was supposedly given to Jain to waive a Rs 16 crore penalty imposed on BEL, which was responsible for installing CCTVs in 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, a project valued at Rs 571 crore.

Following a proposal from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, the LG approved referring the matter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for an ACB investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1998, according to an official statement from the LG's office.

The case began with a September 2019 complaint from a BEL employee, alleging that BEL arranged the Rs 7 crore bribe for Jain through its vendors. The ACB's investigation found corroborative evidence from confidential sources, supporting the allegations against Jain.

The LG's Secretariat noted that documents reviewed indicated repeat orders were placed with vendors to facilitate the bribe, suggesting potential offenses under the PoC Act. The bribe was allegedly routed to Jain via these vendors. The ACB deemed there were sufficient grounds for a full investigation due to the seriousness of the accusations.

The ACB gathered statements from the complainant, who faced a departmental enquiry (DE) related to the case. The complainant’s testimony and DE proceedings highlighted the alleged bribery demand and payment. The Directorate of Vigilance concluded there was a prima facie case against Jain under the PoC Act based on the complainant’s statements and other evidence. However, the Public Works Department (PWD) could not provide a satisfactory rebuttal, attributing the matter to an internal issue of BEL. BEL also declined to disclose details, citing commercial confidentiality.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the allegations against Satyendra Jain as unfounded. AAP minister Atishi criticized the BJP, accusing them of "conspiring against the Delhi government" and highlighting that over the past 10 years, more than 200 cases have been filed against AAP leaders, with no corruption being proven or recovered. She labeled the case as "fake," claiming that the BJP aims to paralyze the Delhi government.