President Murmu approves ED's request to prosecute AAP's Satyendar Jain

Delhi Excise policy case: The approval comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs sought the President's sanction for initiating legal action against Jain last week

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President Droupadi Murmu has granted approval for the prosecution of Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case, adding to the legal challenges confronting the former Delhi minister. The decision follows a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which sought presidential sanction last week to move forward with legal proceedings against Jain. The development marks an escalation in the case against the AAP leader, who has been under scrutiny over alleged financial irregularities.

 

The MHA’s request was based on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation. The ED claimed that it had gathered sufficient evidence to support the charges against the former Minister.

 

Cases against Jain

 

Jain, who served under the previous AAP government as Health Minister of Delhi, was arrested in May 2022 in connection with alleged hawala dealings and money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. 

 

The ED had started investigating Jain after a case was filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2017. In its chargesheet, the CBI accused Jain of possessing assets disproportionate to his known source of income. The CBI also alleged that Jain, along with other AAP leaders, was involved in acquiring illicit wealth through corrupt ways. 

 

According to the CBI, Jain’s assets were found to be significantly higher than his declared income. CBI estimated the disparity at Rs 1.47 crore which is 217 per cent more than his declared earnings from 2015 to 2017.

 

ED steps into the scene

 

The money laundering case against Jain became the talk of the town after the ED started investigating the irregularities, focusing on four companies allegedly linked to him. 

 

In its chargesheet, ED named several others apart from Jain, including his wife and companies, claiming that Jain used these entities to launder money.

 

After being arrested in 2022, Jain spent over two years in prison. However, in October 2024, the Delhi High Court granted him bail, citing the prolonged period of his incarceration and the lack of evidence suggesting that the trial would conclude anytime soon. Jain was released from Tihar Jail on October 18, 2024, and received a warm welcome from his supporters and fellow AAP members. 

 

Delhi HC’s notice to Jain

 

In the latest development, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to Jain seeking his response to a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED has asked the court to defer the framing of charges in the case, arguing that the investigation is still ongoing and that a supplementary chargesheet needs to be filed to include updated evidence from the CBI’s investigation.

 

In its application, the ED informed the court that the CBI had recently filed a supplementary chargesheet, raising the value of Jain’s disproportionate assets from Rs 1.47 crore to Rs 3.95 crore. The ED urged the High Court to defer arguments on charges until the supplementary chargesheet is filed and the investigation is complete. Jain, on the other hand, has requested that the court delay the framing of charges until the investigation concludes, claiming it is in the interest of justice.

 

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 3, 2025. Meanwhile, Jain’s defeat in the recent Delhi Assembly elections, where he lost the Shakur Basti seat to BJP candidate Karnail Singh by nearly 21,000 votes, has added a political dimension to the ongoing case.

 

[With inputs from PTI]