Former AAP minister Satyendar Jain granted bail in ₹4.8 crore money laundering case

A Delhi court on Oct 18 granted bail to former minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain in a ₹4.8 crore money laundering case, directing him not to contact witnesses, influence the trial, or travel outside India.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 30, 2022, on the charge of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him.

While granting bail to Jain, special Judge Vishal Gogne of Rouse Avenue Court also relied on the Aug 9 Supreme Court judgment that granted bail to former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in cases linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

Considering Jain’s long period of incarceration, Gogne granted him bail on a personal bond of ₹ 50,000. As part of his bail conditions, he directed him not to contact witnesses, influence the trial, or travel outside India.

“Given the delay in trial and long incarceration of 18 months, and the fact that trial will take long to start, let alone conclude, the accused is favorably suited for the relief,” the court observed.

Reacting to bail granted to Jain, AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, “Satyendra Jain also got bail after spending more than two years in jail. What was his fault? Several raids were conducted at his place. Not even a single penny was recovered,”

“His only fault was that he built mohalla clinics and made all treatment free for all the people of Delhi. Modi ji put him in jail for closing down Mohalla clinics and stopping free treatment for the poor. But God is with us. Today he too has been released. Welcome back Satyendra!” he added.

AAP in a separate post on X said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's real face has been exposed again. "Satyamev Jayate. Another conspiracy of the BJP failed as Satyendra Jain ji, who brought about a health revolution in Delhi by building magnificent Mohalla Clinics, got bail from the court. The real face of BJP has been exposed again now in front of the entire country." read the post.

Jain has spent over 18 months in judicial custody.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had charge-sheeted Jain in 2017 for allegedly amassing assets to the tune of ₹1.47 crore in a disproportionate assets case.

Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had attached properties in 2022 worth ₹4.81 crore belonging to four companies — Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd — allegedly linked to Jain and his relatives in connection with a money laundering probe.

Senior counsel N Hariharan representing Jain had earlier argued before the court that there were 108 witnesses in the case and over 5,000 pages worth of documents.

“There are 17 judgments following Manish Sisodia (in which bail has been granted interim PMLA cases despite stringent conditions),” he had said, adding that Jain had spent 18 months in custody while Sisodia spent 17.

Hariharan had also argued earlier that almost all the accused in the alleged excise policy scam, which allegedly runs into hundreds of crores of rupees, had been granted bail. Opposing Jain’s bail plea, the ED had earlier said that he was non-cooperative and that the delay was caused by him and not the prosecution.