New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): The anti-corruption branch (ACB) of the Delhi government on Wednesday registered a case against AaAAP leader m Aami Party (AAP) leader and former MLA Satyendar Jain levelling allegations of corruption and bribery in connection with the Rs 571 crore CCTV project for the national capital.

According to Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police (CP) and Head of ACB, the liquidated damages worth Rs 16 crore were allegedly arbitrarily waived by receiving a bribe of Rs 7 crore.

An FIR was registered against former Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Jain under section 17 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, after receiving previous approval from the competent authority.

ACB said, 'Bribery of Rs 7 crore was allegedly arranged to be paid to Satyendra Jain to waive off the Rs 16 crore penalty for delays in CCTV installation.'

Despite previous delays, Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) received additional orders for another 1.4 lakh cameras under the project.

The bribe was allegedly paid through contractors who benefited from the additional orders.

According to officials, the project was allegedly carried out in a 'shoddy manner', with many cameras being dysfunctional even at the time of project handover. Moreover, payments were artificially inflated to accommodate the bribes involving different vendors.

ACB has already examined a BEL officer, who confirmed the allegations and provided a detailed complaint. Documents from PWD and BEL are being scrutinized for further evidence.

Approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was granted, allowing prosecution.

The FIR has been filed under Sections 7/13 (1)(a) of the POC Act and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Over a month ago, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) requested the President's approval to prosecute former Delhi Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain under Section 218 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, sources said.

According to sources, the request was made based on evidence gathered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The agency's findings reportedly provide sufficient grounds for legal proceedings against Jain. (ANI)