NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its verdict on the bail application of former Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain, who faces charges in a money laundering case. The Rouse Avenue Court, presided over by Special Judge Vishal Gogne, will announce its decision on October 15, following arguments from both the defence and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Senior advocates N Hariharan and Vivek Jain, representing Jain, argued that their client poses no risk of influencing witnesses or fleeing the country. This marks Jain’s second bail application following the submission of the prosecution’s complaint.
Hariharan highlighted that the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was initially registered in 2017, but it took the ED five years to file a prosecution complaint in 2022. He also cited a Supreme Court judgment, asserting that the trial of the scheduled offence must be completed before pursuing the ECIR.
The defence questioned discrepancies between the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) estimate of the Proceeds of Crime (POC) at Rs 1.27 crore and the ED’s significantly higher figure of Rs 4.68 crore. Hariharan argued that the ED should only investigate the portion identified by the CBI and expressed concerns over the prolonged delay in the case, noting that charges have yet to be framed despite five years of investigation.
In response, ED’s special counsel, Zoheb Hossain, opposed the bail plea, asserting that the delay in the trial was largely due to the accused’s actions, with 16 adjournments caused by the defence.