Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain, who spent 18 months in prison in a money laundering case, has been arrested by Delhi’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with corruption linked to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tendering process.
The ACB has arrested six people in the case, including former DJB CEO and IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai, former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, and three private individuals: Nagendra Yadav, Raja Kumar Kurra and Pankaj Verma.
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Government of NCT of Delhi has arrested six accused persons:
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2026
1. Satyendar Kumar Jain, former Minister of Water, GNCTD,
2. Udit Prakash Rai (IAS), former CEO, Delhi Jal Board,
3. Ankit Srivastava, former contractual consultant, Delhi Jal Board… pic.twitter.com/Q2hxt1Ofgt
According to the ACB, the arrests relate to FIR No. 10/2024, registered on May 11, 2024, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. The case stems from a complaint filed by the Directorate of Vigilance, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, alleging large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and a criminal conspiracy in the awarding of contracts for the augmentation and upgradation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) under the DJB.
The FIR includes charges related to bribery, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy. The ACB has alleged that the tendering process was manipulated, with the investigation leading to the arrest of the six accused.
Jain, who served as Delhi’s Water Minister, is the most prominent name among those arrested. His latest arrest comes after he had already spent 18 months in custody in a separate money laundering case.
“How many more proofs are needed that the BJP is scared of the AAP?” Dhanda said in a post on X. He questioned how Jain could be held responsible for irregularities committed while he was behind bars.
Dhanda also linked Jain’s arrest to the upcoming Punjab elections, pointing out that Jain is currently the AAP’s co-in-charge for Punjab. The party has therefore characterised the action as politically motivated.
The ACB, meanwhile, has maintained that the arrests are part of its investigation into alleged corruption and manipulation in the DJB tendering process.
The case names Satyendar Kumar Jain as the former Minister of Water, Udit Prakash Rai as former CEO of the Delhi Jal Board, Ankit Srivastava as a former contractual consultant, and Nagendra Yadav, Raja Kumar Kurra and Pankaj Verma as private individuals associated with the companies named in the FIR.
The investigation is centred on wrongdoing in contracts concerning sewage treatment infrastructure, making the case significant not only because of the political stature of the accused but also because of the public infrastructure projects involved.
