Satyendar Jain withdraws contempt plea against ED

Delhi’s jailed minister Satyendar Jain has withdrawn the contempt of plea against Enforcement Directorate in connection with the leak CCTV footage.

Jain moved the plea against ED on the pretext of leaked CCTV videos despite submitting undertaking in court. Advocates Rishikesh Kumar and Mohd Irshad, appearing for Jain on Monday apprised the special court that the minister wished to withdraw the contempt plea.

After taking note of the statement, Special Judge Vikas Dhull, allowed for the withdrawal of the plea. The same court fixed Tuesday’s date for a hearing on another application of Satyender Jain with regard to his medical treatment in Tihar.

Recently a video of Jain went rounds on social media in which he was seen getting massage. The purported CCTV footage dated September 13 shows the minister lying on his bed and reading some papers while a man sitting next to him is seen massaging his foot. In another video, shared by BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on his official Twitter handle, a man is massaging the Delhi minister’s legs and back before proceeding to give him a full head massage. 

The videos emerged 10 days after the ED accused Jain, who is lodged in Tihar jail in the case of alleged money laundering, of receiving special treatment in jail.

“Unknown persons gave massages and foot massages to Jain, even beyond curfew hours. He was given special food,” the ED had said in the court. Soon after this, the Superintendent of Delhi’s Tihar jail, Ajit Kumar, was also suspended for the alleged VIP treatment of jailed Delhi minister.

The same court dismissed a plea moved by Jain asking for special foods as per his religious beliefs.