SC extends Satyendar Jain’s interim bail by five weeks
Jain, who helmed several important portfolios as a minister, including health and prison, was arrested by ED last year
The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim bail granted to former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain by five weeks turning down the demand by the Enforcement Directorate to have the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader examined by an independent team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after two weeks.
Taking note of his medical condition as Jain underwent a spinal surgery on July 21, the bench of justices AS Bopanna and Bela M Trivedi extended the bail granted to him on May 26, by five weeks.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) represented by additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju did not oppose the grant of bail. However, he requested the court to extend bail by two weeks and get the former minister examined by an independent medical board comprising AIIMS doctors. ED alleged that since Jain was the former health minister of Delhi he could easily fudge his medical records.
The bench said, “You should not be too harsh,” while agreeing to consider ED’s request after five weeks.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with advocate Vivek Jain, appeared for the former AAP minister and apprised the court of the “delicate medical condition” of Jain. “He had a serious operation in the spine last week and cannot even turn over. He will require at least six weeks to recover,” Singhvi said.
In May, when Jain approached the top court, he claimed to have lost 35 kilos. He complained of muscular atrophy and showed medical opinion of doctors from three different hospitals recommending operation for his disc-related problems. Jain was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Lok Nayak Hospital two months ago after he fell down in the bathroom of Tihar Jail.
On May 26, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Jain until July 11 -- the first reprieve after spending over an year in jail. In his bail plea before the top court, Jain complained of facing depression, patch on lungs after suffering from Covid-19 last year, acute lumbar pain and associated vertigo, degeneration of intervertebral discs and sleep apnea.
Jain, who helmed several important portfolios as a minister, including health and prison, was arrested by ED last year.Jain has been accused of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him. Subsequent to the probe, ED last year attached assets worth ₹4.81 crore belonging to these companies.
The ED probe began pursuant to a 2017 case registered against Jain by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Jain has been on bail in the CBI case. He has denied all charges, and the AAP has claimed the case is a result of “political vendetta” by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
