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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court will hear final submissions of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju for Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Satyendar Jain's bail plea on Monday, i.e. February 27.

The single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on Thursday due to an urgent matter could not hear the submissions of the ASG and ordered, “The matter will be adjourned, will take it up for final submissions of Mr. Raju on Monday”.

Raju had earlier contended, "Money laundering is crystal clear. Their case is that Satyendar Jain has nothing to do with it. I have to establish that Satyendar Jain was in the thick of these things".

He had also submitted that the special treatment extended by the prison authorities to Satyendar Jain showed that the ED’s apprehension throughout was correct that being a former minister of prisons and health he was receiving favorable treatment from the prison officials including the prison doctors.

Furthermore, the ASG had submitted that Jain continues to be a sitting minister in the Government of NCT Delhi and has been influencing witnesses through his incarceration. “The above facts are borne out from the CCTV video footage of the Tihar jail premises submitted by the Directorate before the PMLA special judge”, he had said.

Raju had also submitted that there is a high likelihood that Jain may attempt to influence witnesses as was bore out from the video footage where he could be seen interacting with the co-accused on a regular basis. He further stated that there is a high likelihood that the applicant once released would seek to frustrate the proceedings under the Act.

Background:

Special Judge Vikas Dhull of the Rouse Avenue Court on November 17, denied bail to Jain in the money laundering case.

The bail application filed by Satyendra Jain pertained to his arrest in a money laundering case in which he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on May 31, 2022.

In April, ED attached assets worth Rs. 4.81 crores linked to Jain and his family. ED initiated an investigation based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jain and others under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is alleged that when Jain was a public servant, companies owned and controlled by him received up to Rs. 4.81 crores from shell companies through the Hawala network.

Case Title: Satyendra Kumar Jain v. Directorate of Enforcement