NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday urged the Delhi High Court to stall the framing of charges in the 2017 money laundering case against AAP leader Satyendar Jain.
The agency claims fresh evidence has expanded the scope of alleged financial irregularities, necessitating the filing of a supplementary prosecution complaint before the trial moves forward.
Justice Vikas Mahajan has sought Jain’s response to the ED’s plea and scheduled the next hearing for March 3.
The latest move by the ED mirrors a previous plea by Jain, in which he sought to postpone the framing of charges until investigations in both the money laundering case and a related corruption probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were completed. His request was rejected by the trial court on September 4, leading him to escalate the matter to the High Court.
Now, the ED has also sought a deferment, though for its own reasons, stating that new developments have surfaced, warranting a revised prosecution complaint.
“To a limited extent, I am agreeable to Jain’s prayer to defer framing of charge till a supplementary prosecution complaint is filed. No prejudice can ever be caused to Jain as we are asking for a part of their prayer,” ED counsel Zoheb Hussain told the court.