The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to Enforcement Directorate (ED) asking it to reply to former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain's plea seeking bail in a money laundering case against him, reported ANI. The top court also granted him the liberty to move a vacation bench of the apex court with his plea. Notably, Jain has challenged the Delhi High Court order dismissing his bail plea in the money laundering case. The Delhi High Court on April 6 had dismissed the bail plea of Satyendar Jain, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain in the money laundering case.
A bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli issued notice to the ED and granted liberty to Jain to move before the vacation bench for relief, reported PTI. Appearing for Jain, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said the former minister has lost 35 kg and virtually became a skeleton. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, said they are on caveat and opposing the plea, as reported by PTI.
Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the case on May 30 last year and is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him. Pronouncing the judgment, Delhi HC judge Dinesh Kumar Sharma remarked that Satyendar Jain is an influential person who can influence the investigation at present. Therefore, bail cannot be granted to Jain at this stage of the case.
The High Court had reserved its order on the bail plea on March 21 after hearing arguments of the counsel for the ED and the AAP leader. The court had observed the senior AAP leader was an influential person having the potential to tamper with evidence. The ED had arrested Jain in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR registered against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Earlier, Jain had submitted that no case was made out against him and he has fully cooperated in the investigation and there was no requirement to continue his incarceration after the filing of the charge sheet.
The former AAP minister had moved the high court after a trial court had dismissed his bail plea in an order dated November 17, 2022 on the ground that he was prima facie involved in concealing the proceeds of crime, PTI reported.