The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Thursday in response to a plea by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain, challenging the trial court’s order summoning him in a money laundering case.
The trial court had acknowledged the ED chargesheet in July 2022 and issued summons to AAP leader.
Despite the ED’s opposition to the issuance of notice on Jain’s petition against the summons, a single judge Justice Neena Bansal Krishna proceeded with issuing the formal notice.
Advocate Vivek Gurnani, representing the ED, emphasized, “They have come after years. Summons were issued in July 2022. They have come here only when we took this argument in opposition to their default bail.”
Senior Advocate N Hariharan, appearing for Satyendar Jain, assured that he would respond to all arguments.
Previously, in May, the High Court had issued a notice to the ED on Jain’s plea for default bail, wherein he challenged the Rouse Avenue Court’s order denying him the relief. Jain is currently incarcerated in connection with the case.
The ED’s case against Jain originates from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under Sections 13(2) (criminal misconduct by public servant) read with 13(e) (disproportionate assets) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The FIR alleges that Jain acquired movable properties in the names of various persons between 2015 and 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for.
Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging that several companies beneficially owned and controlled by Jain received accommodation entries amounting to ₹4.81 crore from shell companies in exchange for cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.
In March, the Apex Court rejected Jain’s bail plea and ordered him to surrender to jail authorities immediately. Jain was arrested by the ED in May 2022 and remained on medical bail for several months before the Supreme Court cancelled his bail in March 2024, sending him back to jail.
Last month, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi High Court to expedite the decision on the bail plea filed by the Satyendar Jain.
