A special CBI court in Delhi has acquitted brothers Kapil Walia and Ritesh Walia in a case linked to alleged irregularities in Delhi Jal Board tubewell re-boring work, overturning their conviction and three-year prison sentences imposed by a lower court in August 2025.
Special Judge Sanjay Jindal, sitting at the Rouse Avenue court complex, said the Central Bureau of Investigation failed to establish that Johnson pipes specified in the work orders had not been installed. The court also found that the agency had not proved that the two accused entered into a criminal conspiracy with Delhi Jal Board officials.
The case relates to tubewell installation and re-boring work undertaken in the Delhi Jal Board’s south-west region during 2007-08. The prosecution case concerned the execution of the public utility works and alleged wrongdoing connected to the materials and procedures used. The court’s decision means the conviction and sentence recorded by the lower court have been set aside in the appeal filed by the two brothers.
The ruling places the evidentiary burden at the centre of the case. According to the report, the court specifically held that the CBI had not produced conclusive evidence to prove either that the required Johnson pipes were not used or that the accused had acted in concert with officials. Those findings formed the basis for cancelling the earlier conviction and sentence.
The case is part of a wider set of corruption proceedings associated with the Delhi Jal Board, the agency responsible for water supply and related infrastructure in the national capital. The proceedings concern decisions and works carried out at different points in time, and the acquittal in this matter does not determine the outcome of other cases involving the utility or its officials.
In a separate Delhi Jal Board-linked corruption case, the Rouse Avenue court recently granted regular bail to five accused persons, including former Delhi Jal Board chief executive officer Udit Prakash Rai, former contractual advisers Ankit Srivastava and Nagendra Yadav, and Raja Kumar Kurra and Pankaj Verma. The court clarified that it was not expressing an opinion on the final merits of the allegations while allowing their bail applications.
The five accused were directed to furnish a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh each, along with two sureties of the same amount. The court also ordered them to deposit their passports, barred them from leaving the country without prior permission, and directed them not to contact or influence witnesses. They were required to join the investigation whenever called.
The court said the evidence in that separate matter was primarily documentary and remained with the investigating agencies. It also held that the applicants met the applicable bail conditions, including having permanent residences and no apparent risk of absconding, evading justice or tampering with evidence. The court had earlier granted bail to former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain on September 3, saying the material before it was prima facie insufficient to deny relief.
The acquittal of Kapil Walia and Ritesh Walia concludes the appeal stage reported in this tubewell re-boring case, while the separate corruption proceedings will continue subject to further court proceedings and investigation.
