Money laundering case: Apex court extends Satyendar’s interim bail by five weeks

New Delhi, July 24

The Supreme Court on Monday extended by five weeks the interim bail of former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case.

A Bench led by Justice A S Bopanna extended his interim bail after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi submitted on behalf of Jain that the senior AAP leader had undergone a spine surgery on July 21 and needed time to recover.

On behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said he was not opposing extension of Jain’s interim bail.

The top court adjourned the hearing for five weeks after Raju said the ED wanted its plea for an independent medical examination of Jain by AIIMs or any other hospital to be heard on the next date.

On May 26, the Supreme Court had granted him a six-week interim bail on medical grounds.

Arrested on May 30 last year by the ED, Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him. The case emanates from a CBI FIR registered against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Jain has challenged the April 6 order of the Delhi High Court denying him bail in the money laundering case. Talking about the witnesses’ claim that Jain was the conceptualiser, initiator and fund provider in the alleged crime, the high court had described Jain as an influential person who had the potential of tampering with the evidence.

He was granted regular bail by a trial court on September 6, 2019, in the case registered by the CBI.

In 2022, the trial court had taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED against Jain, his wife and eight others, including the four firms, in connection with the money laundering case.

On November 17, 2022, the trial court had dismissed the bail pleas of Jain and two others in the case, saying he was prima facie involved in concealing the proceeds of crime. The trial court had also rejected bail pleas of Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain, saying they ‘knowingly’ assisted Jain in concealing the proceeds of crime and were ‘prima facie guilty’ of money laundering.