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Synopsis

The Supreme Court of India has today asked the Delhi High Court not to adjourn Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain's bail application and hear it without any delay.

A vacation bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti observed that bail applications should not be unnecessarily adjourned.

Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for Jain, informed the court today that the High Court's order dated May 28th was essentially under challenge whereby it had listed the matter for July 9, 2024. 

Delhi High Court, had in the said order, directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit their response in the default bail application filed by Jain. Satyendar Jain, who is currently under judicial custody, challenged the trial court's order of May 15. The trial court had rejected his request for default bail under Section 167(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). 

The ED arrested Jain on May 30, 2022, in connection with this case, which originated from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR filed against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. While he secured bail in the CBI case in September 2019, the Supreme Court, despite initially granting interim bail to Jain based on medical reasons, ultimately rejected his regular bail plea and ordered him to surrender promptly. 

The Supreme Court noted that Satyendar Jain, along with Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain, his associates, appeared prima facie culpable of the alleged money laundering offenses. The court highlighted the accused's failure to satisfy the dual conditions outlined in Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for bail. 

Prior to this, the High Court had also declined Jain's petition for regular bail in the money laundering case. The court cited statements from co-accused implicating Jain as the mastermind behind the operation, expressing concerns over his potential influence and the possibility of tampering with evidence if released on bail.

Case Title: Satyendar Jain vs. ED