On Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted bail to Sanjay Badaya, who is accused of being involved in a money laundering case related to the Rajasthan Jal Jeevan Mission. He allegedly accepted bribes to help contractors win tenders from state departments, like the Public Health and Engineering department.
A judge, Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, decided to give Badaya bail because he had been in jail for five months and no charges have been filed against him yet. The judge said that the trial would not start soon. “All important evidence has already been taken by the Enforcement Directorate,” the judge noted. “There are 50 witnesses to hear from, and with over 8,000 pages of evidence, it’s unlikely the trial will be quick.”
Badaya is accused of taking a bribe of ₹3.30 crore, which allegedly went into his father’s bank account. The case first started when the anti-corruption bureau in Rajasthan filed a complaint in August 2023. Later that month, the Enforcement Directorate began investigating.
Advocate Zoheb Hossain, who represented the Enforcement Directorate, claimed that Badaya used the bribe money to buy property. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who defended Badaya, mentioned that the Supreme Court had previously granted bail to another accused, Peeyush Jain, who was involved in a bigger bribe case worth ₹8.80 crore.
When the judge asked about the difference between Badaya and Jain, the Enforcement Directorate responded that Badaya’s case involved additional money that was deposited into his father’s account from a contractor-related company. The Delhi High Court had rejected Badaya’s earlier bail request on November 11, based on the serious accusations against him.
Badaya claimed that the ₹1.05 crore in his father’s account was returned before the first legal complaint was filed. He was arrested on July 16, and he received temporary bail once to attend his mother’s funeral. Badaya also stated that the property in question was bought by his father, not him, and that the property deal was made in October 2022, which was before the alleged bribes were sent in late 2022 and early 2023.