The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond to the special leave petition filed by the jailed former minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain against the trial court's order denying him default bail in a money laundering case.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court issued notice to the ED and asked it to file a status report on the matter and listed it for further hearing on July 9.
The former Delhi minister has challenged a trial court's May 15 order by which he was denied default bail in the case. He sought default bail contending that ED failed to complete the investigation in all respects within the statutory period. He further said that incomplete chargesheet was filed to deprive him of his right to default bail.
Jain is accused in a money laundering case involving four companies allegedly linked to him. Jain was taken into custody on May 30, 2022, but was granted interim bail by the apex court on medical grounds on May 26, 2023. The interim bail was then extended from time to time as the case remained pending in the court.
The Supreme Court on March 18 denied bail to AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case and directs him to surrender forthwith. In January, a bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal had reserved verdict on the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Jain against the April 2023 order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail.
Jain is facing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In May 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in case of money laundering. Jain along with three others was accused of laundering money through three companies during 2010-12 and 2015-16.
In May 2023, the top court granted bail to Jain on medical grounds following which he was released from custody after one year in jail. Jain's bail on medical grounds has been extended from time to time.
ED had contended that Jain had de facto control through his family members over the companies that were allegedly involved in a money laundering racket.
Jain who is also the former Delhi health minister has been accused of money laundering through four companies allegedly linked to him. Paryas Infosolution, Indo Metalimpex, Akinchan Developers and Mangalayatan Projects are those four companies.
The former Delhi Minister and AAP leader Jain has been accused of carrying out money transactions to Kolkata based entry operators of different shell companies for accommodation entries through his associates. It has been alleged that those associates then allegedly re-routed the money in the form of investment through shares in companies linked to Jain after layering them through shell companies.