SC rejects bail plea, directs AAP leader Satyendar Jain to surrender

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested AAP Leader Satyendar Jain on May 30, 2022, on charges of money laundering

The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar 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.