New Delhi, December 4: The Supreme Court on Monday extended interim bail granted to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyender Jain in a money laundering case till the next date of hearing. The matter was deferred when Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi apprised the court that the matter was partly heard by a two-judge bench of justices AS Bopanna and Bela M Trivedi.
The matter was listed before the bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma on Monday. Senior Advocate Singhvi, appearing for Jain, urged the court to adjourn the matter due to Justice AS Bopanna's absence. However, Justice Trivedi said that the interim order cannot continue for that long and they have to see these aspects. Satyendar Jain Money Laundering Case: CBI Seeks LG VK Saxena’s Nod To Probe Extortion Charges Against AAP Leader.
However, Senior Advocate Singhvi said that the interim order cannot be touched as the bench which was hearing the matter did not assemble. He urged the court to keep the matter in January as he was told that other judges will sit next month. The court adjourned the matter and extended the interim relief granted to Jain till the next date of hearing.
Jain has undergone surgery on July 21. The interim bail given to Jain on medical grounds is extended from time to time. On May 26, the top court granted interim bail to Satyendar Jain for six weeks in the money laundering case but imposed various conditions including neither to talk with the media nor to leave Delhi without permission. Satyendar Jain Collapses In Tihar Jail; AAP Leader Hospitalised After He Fell In Bathroom.
Satyendar Jain's lawyer had told the top court that he had lost 35 kg and turned into a skeleton due to this.
Satyender Jain/applicant, at this stage, can't be held to clear the twin conditions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The HC had kept the order reserved on March 21 after the conclusion of the submissions made by the defence and prosecution sides after multiple hearings. During arguments in the High Court, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju appeared for the Enforcement Directorate contented that money laundering is crystal clear against Jain and other co-accused.
In his bail plea, Jain stated, "I appeared before ED on 7 occasions. I have cooperated and participated in the investigation. I was arrested 5 years down the line in 2022." On November 17, 2022, the trial court dismissed the bail petition of Satyendar Jain. He was arrested on May 30, 2022, under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate and is presently in Judicial Custody in the case.
The ED case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint registered on the allegation that Satyender Jain had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons from February 14, 2015, to May 31, 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for.