New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): AAP Legal Cell head Sanjeev Nasir on Wednesday alleged that the arrest of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in the Delhi Jal Board alleged scam case was ‘completely wrongful’ and politically motivated.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Nasir said Jain and the other accused had been produced before the court and that the ACB had moved an application seeking judicial custody of all the accused except one. He said the defence had opposed the agency’s request.
‘Satyendar Jain and the other accused have just been produced in court, and the ACB has moved an application seeking judicial custody for all of them, except for one. We have opposed this because the arrest is completely wrongful,’ Nasir said.
He said arguments on the custody application were underway and reiterated the defence’s claim that Jain’s arrest was politically motivated.
Nasir also questioned the basis of the allegations in the case, which relate to an alleged scam involving a Delhi Jal Board tender in May 2022. He said Jain’s role had been cited in connection with the allegations but claimed that the former minister was already in custody at the time in connection with cases being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
‘Regarding the allegations–which claim there was a scam involving a tender in May 2022–Satyendar Jain’s role has been cited. However, during that period, he was already under arrest in connection with ED and CBI cases,’ Nasir said.
The AAP lawyer also questioned the circumstances surrounding Jain’s arrest, saying the ACB had not provided an explanation for what he described as the sudden arrest on Tuesday evening.
‘There has been no explanation from the ACB so far regarding the manner of his sudden arrest yesterday evening,’ Nasir said.
He further alleged that the directive to arrest Jain and the other accused had come from the BJP office. The allegation was made while opposing the ACB’s request for judicial custody.
Nasir said the legal team was prepared to approach the court with a bail application if Jain was remanded to judicial custody.
‘Our bail application is ready; we will move it immediately once he is remanded to judicial custody,’ he said.
Jain was arrested for alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process related to the augmentation and upgradation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). (ANI)