The Supreme Court has dismissed the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyender
Jain, directing him to surrender immediately.
The decision came
after a bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal reserved its
judgment on January 17, following arguments presented by senior advocate
Abhishek Singhvi, representing Jain, and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju,
representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The AAP leader
had approached the SC to challenge the Delhi High Court's April 6, 2023 order,
which dismissed his regular bail application in the case. At the time, the high
court had stated that as the applicant was an influential person, there was a
risk of potential tampering with evidence.
On November 17,
2022, Jain's bail application was rejected, and he was arrested by the ED on
May 30, 2022, on charges of money laundering through four companies allegedly
linked to him. The arrest was based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
first information report (FIR) filed against him in 2017 under the Prevention
of Corruption Act.
Despite denying
these allegations, Jain had been granted regular bail by a trial court, in the
case registered by the CBI.
Jain, a former
minister in the AAP government, was granted interim bail on medical grounds by
the Supreme Court on May 26, 2023, with subsequent extensions granted
thereafter. The SC, however, imposed various conditions to the bail, including
refusing to talk with the media or leaving Delhi without permission.
The AAP leader had
undergone surgery on July 21 last year.
On December 14,
2023, the apex court had extended interim bail granted to Jain until January 8,
citing medical reasons.