In a significant win for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain, a special court in Delhi accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report on Monday, dismissing a 2018 case alleging corruption in the hiring of a creative team for the Public Works Department (PWD). Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh ruled that the CBI’s thorough investigation found no evidence of criminal activity, wrongful loss to the government, or personal gain, rendering further proceedings unnecessary.

The case, initiated on May 28, 2018, following a reference from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, probed alleged irregularities in a PWD tender awarded to a private company for hiring a creative team. Initial claims suggested that Jain and others altered the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) conditions to favor the company. However, after a four-year investigation, the CBI concluded in its closure report that there was no evidence of corruption, conspiracy, or financial misconduct.

The court noted that the hiring process was justified due to a lack of specialized staff in urban planning and graphic designing within the PWD, where no recruitment rules existed. Outsourcing through a transparent process, involving open advertisements and interviews by a committee with members from CPWD, DMRC, and HUDCO, was deemed standard practice. The selected professionals, many from reputed institutes, met high standards, with some later securing better jobs, indicating no undue benefits.

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The CBI also clarified that a shift in funding from the Barapulla elevated corridor project to Mohalla Clinics was legitimate, as the same team served both priority projects. The selection process, overseen by the PWD’s Engineer-in-Chief and neutral officials, was transparent and fair. The agency dismissed a protest petition against the closure, stating it lacked sufficient evidence to warrant further inquiry.

Special Judge Singh emphasized that the absence of incriminating evidence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the lack of any sanction for prosecution supported the closure of the case. “The funds were used legitimately, with no misappropriation or mala fide intent,” he stated, formally accepting the CBI’s report and closing the FIR.

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