News Mania / Piyal Chatterjee / 18th October 2024
In a money laundering case, a local court has granted bail to Satyendar Jain, a former Delhi minister and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Mr. Jain more than two years ago.
On medical grounds, the Supreme Court granted him temporary bail in May 2023. In March of this year, the Supreme Court rejected his bid for regular bail, and he was sent back to Tihar jail in Delhi.
According to news agency PTI, special judge Vishal Gogne stated that the accused was “favorably suited for the relief, considering the delay in trial and long incarceration of 18 months, and the fact that the trial will take a long time to start, let alone conclude.”
Mr. Jain is the third AAP leader to receive bail in a variety of recent instances. Both former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia were granted bail last month and August, respectively. They were charged with money laundering in connection with the creation of a new liquor policy for the nation’s capital. In the run-up to elections, the AAP leaders have been accusing the Center of using the investigating agencies against them for political hit jobs. At every stage, the Center has denied the accusations.
“Satyamev Jayate. Long live the Constitution… Satyendar Jain was kept in jail for such a long time by making false and baseless allegations. His house was raided four times. Nothing was found, yet he was kept in jail… Thanks to the judiciary for supporting truth and justice,” Mr Sisodia said in a post on X today. The Central Bureau of Investigation’s first information report (FIR) from 2017 about alleged money laundering utilizing firms connected to Mr. Jain serves as the foundation for the ED case against him.
“Welcome back, Satyendar,” remarked Mr. Kejriwal. Mr. Jain’s attorney informed the court that holding him any longer would be pointless. On the grounds that the former minister might sway witnesses, the ED rejected his bail request.
