Court shuts graft case against Satyendar

A local court on Monday accepted a closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a corruption case against Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain. In the report, the CBI had said there was no evidence of illegal gratification or wrongdoing against Jain.

Special Judge (PC Act) Dig Vinay Singh, presiding over the matter at the Rouse Avenue Courts, accepted the CBI’s findings and ordered the case to be closed.

“There is no sufficient evidence to support those provisions or to invoke jurisdiction under any of them. The allegations, as presented, and the factual background are not sufficient to warrant further investigation or to initiate proceedings. The law clearly states that suspicion cannot replace proof. It is also worth noting that even to charge someone, mere suspicion is not enough; at least strong suspicion would be necessary to proceed,” the court said in its order.

With these observations, the court brought to a quiet close a four-year-long investigation. Reacting to the court order, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said all cases filed against AAP leaders were false and the truth would come out eventually.

“We were sent to jail by filing false cases against us. Shouldn’t all those who filed these false cases and the leaders at whose behest these false cases were filed be sent to jail? Mud was slung at us day and night, our families had to endure so much pain, what about compensation for all of that? Whenever they wanted, they filed fake cases, whenever they wanted, they sent us to jail, and whenever they felt like it, they filed a ‘closure report’? Is this justice?” Kejriwal said.

The case had its origins in a complaint filed by the Vigilance Department, alleging irregularities during Jain’s tenure as Delhi’s Public Works Department minister. The complaint had accused him of approving the appointment of 17 consultants through outsourcing, allegedly circumventing standard recruitment norms.

An FIR was registered in May 2019 on the basis of these allegations. However, after investigation, the CBI concluded that the recruitment of professionals was not only justified due to the urgent functional needs of the department but was also done through a transparent and competitive process. The agency found no evidence of corruption, criminal conspiracy, undue favour, or personal gain.

The court, while accepting the report, further clarified that the CBI would remain at liberty to reopen the investigation if any fresh material were to surface in future.