Satyendar Jain withdraws bail plea after hospital release, wife gets interim bail

Satyendar Jain is currently in judicial custody but was admitted in Lok Nayak hospital due to ill health. Special judge Geetanjali Goel allowed the withdrawal, even as she granted interim bail to the minister’s wife Poonam Jain.

Delhi minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday withdrew his interim bail application filed on health grounds in connection with a money laundering case, after his counsel informed a city court of his discharge from Lok Nayak hospital, where he was admitted since July 8.

Delhi minister Satyendar Jain. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Archive)

Jain is currently in judicial custody but was admitted in Lok Nayak hospital due to ill health. Special judge Geetanjali Goel allowed the withdrawal, even as she granted interim bail to the minister’s wife Poonam Jain. She was named alongside the accused in the charge sheet filed by the agency, with the judge noting that Poonam Jain was not arrested during the investigation.

Last month, the Enforcement Directorate moved the Delhi high court asking that Jain be medically examined at a central government hospital, claiming that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator may influence the state government-run Lok Nayak, where he was admitted till Saturday.

On July 28, acting on the ED’s plea, the high court restrained a trial court from considering Jain’s medical report from Lok Nayak.

Jain has been under treatment in Lok Nayak hospital for nearly a month, after doctors at the facility advised him two to three weeks of bed rest, given his history of ailments and “present condition”.

He was first admitted to the public hospital on June 20 for chest pain. While being discharged on July 1, doctors listed a history of his ailments.

The report by Lok Nayak doctors was corroborated by the Tihar Jail doctor, who found that the report was genuine.

According to Jain’s interim bail application, filed in the trial court on July 12 on health grounds, the minister fell in the jail bathroom on June 18 and had “uneasiness” in his chest on June 20, following which he was taken to GB Pant hospital.

The plea further said Jain was referred to Lok Nayak hospital due to his nature of ailments, following which a medical board of three doctors evaluated his health.

Meanwhile, Jain’s wife, Poonam was granted interim bail on Saturday, as the court extended the interim bail granted to two more accused — Ajit Prasad Jain and Sunil Kumar Jain —last week. The judge also sought the ED’s response on the regular bail pleas of the accused and posted the matter for hearing on August 20.

Jain was arrested on May 30 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was first sent to police custody followed by judicial custody.

The case is based on a 2017 FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the minister. ED has accused him of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him and in which he was holding shares, while amassing wealth disproportionate to his income.

According to ED, Jain transferred money to Kolkata through a hawala channel and got it back from dummy companies in the form of accommodation entries, even though he could not show the source of the money received.