The Supreme Court on Friday extended the interim bail granted to former Delhi minister Satyendar Kumar Jain in a money laundering case until December 4, when his plea for regular bail will be heard.
A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi adjourned the matter to December 4 because Justice A S Bopanna, presiding over the case, was unavailable. The bench stated, ‘In the meanwhile, the interim bail granted earlier is extended until the next date of hearing.
Previously, the apex court had extended Jain’s interim bail until October 9, instructing him not to exploit the pendency of proceedings as a tactic to delay the trial.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleges that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader sought repeated adjournments in the trial court, citing the pending bail plea before the apex court. The agency claims that Jain has sought 16 adjournments in the trial court.
On May 26, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Jain for six weeks for spinal surgery, asserting that a citizen has the right to receive treatment of their choice at a private hospital at their own expense. On September 12, the court further extended Jain’s interim bail until September 25.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested the AAP leader on May 30 of last year on charges of money laundering through four companies allegedly linked to him.
The arrest was based on a CBI FIR registered in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. In the case registered by the CBI, Jain was granted regular bail by the trial court on September 6, 2019.
