Judge seeks ED response on Satyendar Jain's plea to transfer his case

The Principal District and Sessions Judge of Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday sought a response of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea moved by Satyendar Jain in seeking the transfer of case proceedings to be listed to another judge.

The Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta on Thursday, fixed the matter for May 4, 2023, for hearing arguements and asked the ED to file its reply copy before that.

However, the Court refused to stay the proceedings going before Special Judge Vikas Dhull in a money laundering case against Former Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyendar Jain.

Satyendar Jain has recently moved applications seeking the transfer of the trial proceedings of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases for alleged corruption and money laundering to another judge.

Presently special judge Vikas Dhul is hearing both the cases of Satyendar Jain.

Jain is presently confined in Tihar Jail in relation to money laundering being probed by Enforcement Directorate.

In the CBI matter, Satyendar Jain also moved an application seeking the transfer of this case to another court. On this, the Principal District Judge Vinay Gupta had stayed the proceedings in the alleged corruption case being investigated by CBI till May 4, when he is scheduled to hear the arguments on the application.

Earlier the Special Judge Vikas Dhull had denied the bail to Satyendar Jain in the ED case and said that applicant/accused Satyendar Kumar Jain has prima facie indulged in the offence of money laundering of more than Rs 1 Crore.

"Further, the offence of money laundering is a serious economic offence and the view of the Supreme Court of India with regard to economic offences is that they constitute a class apart and need to be visited with a different approach in the matter of bail," the court said.

Last week, the Delhi High Court dismissed Satyendar Jain and two others' bail petitions in a money laundering case and said that it does not find any illegality or perversity in the trial court Judge's order. The order rejecting the bail applications are well-reasoned orders based on material on record.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma said, "I consider that petitioners have failed to meet the twin conditions as provided under Section 45 PMLA as well as the conditions as laid down under Section 439 Cr.P.C. and are thus not entitled to bail. Hence, the bail applications are rejected."

The ED case is based on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) complaint registered on the allegation that Satyendar Jain had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons from February 14, 2015, to May 31, 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for.