Delhi Court allows ED's pleas seeking transfer of Satyendar Jain's case, Special Judge Vikas Dhull to hear case from now
The Principal District and Sessions Court of Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital on Friday allowed the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition seeking the transfer of Satyender Jain's money laundering case to another judge. The matter, which special judge Geetanjali Goel previously heard, will now be heard by Special Judge Vikas Dhull.
The Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta had on Thursday, reserved the order for transfer of the case, after the conclusion of lengthy arguments made by both sides. Supreme Court on Wednesday had directed Rouse Avenue Court to consider on Thursday a plea by the Enforcement Directorate seeking the transfer of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain's bail hearing.
During arguments of ED, ASG SV Raju submitted that there was an attempt to seek medical bail by using false medical reports. The court didn't take any action. He has been handling the Delhi Prisons too as a Minister and can use power, money and influence.
On Saturday, ED moved an application before the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Rouse Avenue Court urging the transfer of Satyendar Jain's money laundering proceedings to another Judge.
The ED petition has sought the transfer of Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain's matter to Special Judge Geetanjali Goel after raising certain contentions related to the bail arguments being examined by the court.
Special judge Geetanjali Goel, in the past few hearings, had pulled up the agency over its probe in the money laundering case. The Court was presently hearing the lengthy arguments on the bail petitions of Satyendar Jain and the other two co-accused Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain in the matter. The bail hearing of the accused was at the final stage.
All three persons are currently in judicial custody. The ED had arrested Satyendar Jain and two others in a money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act under which he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.
On September 16, the ED quizzed Jain inside the Jail in relation to the Excise policy case. Special Judge Geetanjali Goel allowed the application moved by the ED seeking permission to question Satyendar Jain in the excise policy case.
Recently the court also took cognizance of the Prosecution Complaint (Chargesheet) filed by the ED against Satyendar Jain, his wife, and eight others including four firms in connection with the money laundering case. The ED on June 6 claimed to have seized Rs 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg from Satyendra Jain's aides during its day-long raid conducted at various places across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). During these raids, the agency also seized various incriminating documents and digital records.The ED had initiated the money-laundering investigation on the basis of a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 24, 2017, under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Satyendar Jain, Poonam Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain, Sunil Kumar Jain, Vaibhav Jain, and Ankush Jain.
