AAP Leader Satyendar Jain's Bail Extended In Money Laundering Case After CJI Pledges To Not Intervene In Listing

On Thursday (14 December), the Supreme Court granted an extension to the interim bail of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain until 8 January 2024, in connection to a money laundering case.

Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma presided over the case and scheduled a further hearing on Jain's bail plea for the same date.

The court acknowledged that Jain had submitted new documents at the last minute, preventing the opposing side from verifying them in a timely manner.

However, the court refrained from expressing any opinion on the case's merits and opted to extend the interim order until the next hearing date.

During the proceedings, Justice Trivedi commented that the matter was before her bench as Justice AS Bopanna, due to medical reasons, had communicated to the registry that he would not be available after Diwali, requesting that matters listed before him be kept as "de-part heard."

Jain's bail hearing witnessed several twists and turns, with Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud explaining why the case was listed before different bench combinations.

Earlier, Jain's bail plea was partially heard by Justices AS Bopanna and Bela M Trivedi, but on this day, it was listed before Justice Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud clarified on Wednesday (13 December) that he will not intervene to shift cases already listed for hearing.

“If the case is listed before a judge, the judge will take a call. I will not say anything,” the CJI stated

Jain, who underwent surgery on 21 July, has had his interim bail extended on medical grounds multiple times.

The Supreme Court had granted him interim bail for six weeks on 26 May, imposing various conditions, including restrictions on media interaction and travel outside Delhi without permission.

In the ongoing legal battle, Jain challenged the Delhi High Court's decision to reject his bail plea in the money laundering case.

The High Court had dismissed his plea on 6 April, citing his influential status and the potential to tamper with evidence.

The case stems from allegations that Jain, a former Delhi minister, acquired movable properties in the names of various individuals between 14 February 2015, and 31 May 2017, without satisfactory accounting.

He was arrested on 30 May 2022, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate and is currently in judicial custody.

Despite Jain's cooperation with the investigation, the Delhi High Court expressed concerns about his influential position and the potential to tamper with evidence.