President Murmu Grants Sanction To Prosecute Satyendra Jain In Money Laundering Case

The MHA sought the sanction against him under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita with the request for sanction upon ED investigation and the presence of “adequate evidence".

President Droupadi Murmu has approved prosecution sanctions against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain in connection with the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money-laundering probe. Jain was arrested in May 2022 for his alleged involvement in hawala transactions.

“The sanction against the 60-year-old politician has been sought under section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The Ministry of Home Affairs had requested sanction from the President of India based on an ED investigation and the presence of adequate proof,” a source told Indian Express.

Last week, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) submitted a request to the President seeking prosecution approval against the former Delhi minister. It sought the sanction against him under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita with the request for sanction upon ED investigation and the presence of “adequate evidence", according to a PTI report.

Currently, out on bail, he was charge-sheeted by the ED. The money-laundering case linked to him after the August 2017 FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accusing him and others, of possession of disproportionate assets.

CBI's Chargesheet Against Jain In 2018 

A chargesheet was filed by the CBI in December 2018 claiming that Jain's assets exceeded his known sources of income by Rs 1.47 crore—approximately 217 per cent more than what he had declared between 2015 and 2017.

Jain was released from Delhi's Tihar Jail on October 18, 2024, where he was greeted by AAP leaders and supporters. A Delhi court granted bail to Satyendar Jain in the money-laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), noting that there was "no likelihood" of the trial commencing anytime soon, let alone concluding.  

Special Judge Vishal Gogne ordered Jain’s release on a personal bond of Rs 50,000, taking into account his prolonged incarceration.  

Jain was initially arrested in May 2022 and remained in custody, except for a 10-month period between May 26, 2023, and March 18, 2024, when he was out on medical bail.  

In the recent Delhi Assembly elections, Jain contested from the Shakur Basti constituency but was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Karnail Singh by a margin of nearly 21,000 votes.