A Delhi court released the former Delhi minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain from prison on Friday in connection with the money laundering case. Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 30, 2022, and needs judicial custody for longer than 18 months. His arrest was related to charges of money laundering made through four companies believed to be owned by him.
While releasing Jain on bail, Special Judge Vishal Gogne added that there has been considerable delay in the trial and the imprisonment of the accused. The media reported the following excerpt of the statement made by the judge to a news agency: “Given the circumstances such as trial delay and long pre-sentence incarceration of 18 months and looking at the fact that the trial is likely to take a long time to commence not to mention reach its conclusion the accused is favourably placed to receive relief.” The bail was granted on ₹50,000 on normal bail bond along with two sureties in the like sum.
Jain’s case goes back to an FIR registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2017 in light of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Enforcement Directorate continued with the case after the CBI had investigated the case, which saw him being arrested in 2022. The charges include money laundering of big amounts through firms believed to be owned by Jain.
The arrest was followed by a long period of detention, which spurred political rivalry, especially by the Aam Aadmi Party, which denies the charges against him are politically influenced. In his case, too, through the legal counsels, he has been tendering requests for bail based on health complications and the maneuvres of a protracted course of justice. With the court now recognizing the numerous wasteful years it has been taking to hear trial cases, Jain has been given a brief respite.
It remains a period of progress in the ongoing legal process; however, the case still has an impact hanging over the AAP leader, and there are still more proceedings to be held in the course of the year.
Check here for the latest updates in Hindi!