The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in response to a plea filed by former Delhi cabinet minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyender Jain.

Jain is challenging the trial court’s cognisance order and subsequent judicial remand order in a money laundering case.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, who heard the matter, has sought a response from the ED and scheduled the next hearing for August 22, 2024. Senior Advocate N Hariharan and Advocate Mayank Jain represented Satyender Jain in court.

The case stems from a chargesheet filed by the ED, which was taken into cognisance by the Rouse Avenue Court on July 29, 2022. Jain, who was arrested on May 30, 2022, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is currently in judicial custody.

This latest legal move follows Jain’s earlier attempts to secure bail. In May, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the ED on Jain’s default bail plea, which argued that the ED failed to complete its investigation within the statutory period. Jain contends that filing an incomplete chargesheet violates his fundamental rights and negates his right to default bail under Section 167(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Previously, the Delhi High Court dismissed Jain’s bail plea, citing his influential position and potential to tamper with evidence. The court also stated that Jain failed to meet the twin conditions set by the PMLA for bail.

On November 17, 2022, the trial court dismissed the bail petition of Satyendar Jain. He was arrested on May 30, 2022, under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate and is presently in judicial custody in the case.

The ED’s case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint alleging that Jain acquired movable properties in various persons’ names between February 2015 and May 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for.

(Inputs from ANI)