Supreme Court rejects bail plea of former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in money laundering case

The Supreme Court rejected the bail plea of former Delhi Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case on Monday (Mar 18).

The Supreme Court rejected the bail applications of Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, along with the co-accused Ankush Jain, on Monday. Both are implicated in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal ordered the AAP leader Satyendar Jain, out on interim bail, to surrender forthwith in a money laundering case. The decision to reject the bail applications follows the conclusion of hearings on Satyendar Jain's special leave petition in January, challenging the April 2023 ruling of the Delhi High Court.

"All the appeals are dismissed. Mr. Satyendar Jain has to surrender forthwith," the Court ordered.

Jain, who was previously arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May 2022 for alleged involvement in money laundering activities related to four companies, had been granted interim bail on medical grounds in May 2023 after spending a year in detention. The upcoming verdict will address the ongoing extensions of this bail.

The AAP leader was initially granted interim medical bail by the Supreme Court in May 2023, which was subsequently extended. 

The case against Satyendar Jain was registered based on allegations that he had acquired movable properties in the names of various individuals between 2015 and 2017, for which he could not provide satisfactory explanations.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had accused Satyendar Jain of receiving accommodation entries totaling Rs 4.81 crore through several companies beneficially owned and controlled by him. These entries were allegedly obtained from shell companies, and the cash was transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Jain in the case, which highlights his alleged financial misconduct while serving as Delhi's Health Minister. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju is representing the ED. The arrest was based on a 2017 CBI FIR filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act.