Satyendar Jain back in Tihar Jail after SC rejects bail plea

Apex court refuses oral plea seeking a week for him to surrender; Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal calls him ‘hero of Delhi residents’; AAP describes case against former Health Minister as ‘fabricated’

Senior AAP leader and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain leaving his residence for jail following the apex court order. | Photo Credit: ANI

Former Health Minister and AAP leader Satyendar Jain returned to Tihar Jail on Monday, hours after the Supreme Court dismissed his bail plea in a money laundering case and ordered him to surrender immediately.

A jail official said Mr. Jain arrived at the prison in the evening. He was taken to Jail No.7 after formalities of lodging him in the prison were completed.

An official said the 69-year-old AAP leader was medically examined before being sent to a separate cell in the prison.

Earlier in the day, a Bench headed by Justice Bela Trivedi refused an oral plea by Mr. Jain’s counsel to give him a week to surrender. “No, forthwith,” Justice Trivedi replied categorically.

Mr. Jain was out on interim bail granted to him on medical grounds by the Supreme Court in May last year.

He had moved the apex court challenging an April 6, 2023 order of the Delhi High Court dismissing his regular bail application in the case. He had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2022 for allegedly laundering money through multiple companies.

The ED had investigated Mr. Jain on the basis of a CBI complaint, which alleged that he had acquired movable properties in the names of various persons from 2015 to 2017.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Mr. Jain, had countered that the entire edifice of the case was “built on a shaky foundation”.

There was no real evidence to back the prosecution’s claims that Mr. Jain was the “mastermind”, he submitted. 

‘Disagree with order’

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called Mr. Jain a “hero for Delhi residents”.

“He made arrangements for providing round-the-clock electricity, good government hospitals and Mohalla Clinics. Feel extremely sad for him and his family,” the CM said in a post on X.

In a statement, AAP said it disagrees with the court’s decision. “...but we have full faith in our judicial system and are sure that eventually justice will be done,” it read.

The party also termed the case against Mr. Jain “fabricated”. Mr. Jain had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet in February last year.