Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has strongly condemned the arrest of former Delhi cabinet minister Satyendar Jain, alleging the action was taken at the behest of the BJP-led central government to target political opponents. Speaking to the media after the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) took Jain into custody over alleged financial irregularities in a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tender, Kejriwal called the case completely fabricated and asserted that the charges would soon fall apart in court.
The arrest follows an ACB probe into an alleged tender manipulation case within the Delhi Jal Board, in which Jain and five others were detained. According to the agency, tender terms for a civic project were allegedly altered during Jain’s tenure as water minister to benefit specific private firms, with kickbacks amounting to over ₹1.5 crore routed through corporate conduits. The agency subsequently registered FIRs under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy.
Rejecting the allegations, Kejriwal described the move as part of a continuous political vendetta aimed at crippling AAP’s governance and intimidating its leadership. He pointed out that investigative agencies have carried out dozens of raids, seized files, and conducted extensive interrogations across various cases over the years without recovering illicit assets. Expressing confidence in the judiciary, the AAP chief maintained that these accusations, like earlier ones, would fail under legal scrutiny.
Jain, who previously spent extensive time in custody before securing bail in a separate Enforcement Directorate money laundering case, has maintained that all charges against him are baseless. AAP leaders also criticized the timing of the action, accusing the BJP of using administrative agencies to distract from civic issues while attempting to undermine the party's work in public health, education, and water infrastructure.
The arrest has set off another fierce political slugfest between AAP and the BJP in the national capital. While the BJP welcomed the ACB’s move and demanded accountability for past ministerial decisions, AAP has resolved to challenge the remand and fight the case vigorously in court.
