ED urges Delhi High Court to defer trial in 2017 PMLA case against Satyendar Jain till...

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed an application before the Delhi High Court urging it to direct the trial court hearing a 2017 money laundering case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain to defer the framing of charges in the matter till the ED files a supplementary prosecution complaint. .Justice Vikas Mahajan sought Jain's response to the ED's plea and posted the matter for hearing next on March 3. .Earlier, Jain had moved a plea seeking directions from the High Court so that the framing of charges against him in the money laundering case is deferred until further investigation in this case as well as the related corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is completed, and till the trial in the CBI case is concluded. On September 4, a trial court declined to defer this process, prompting the AAP leader to move the High Court for relief. The ED has now joined Jain in seeking a deferment of the trial court proceedings in the money laundering case, albeit only until the investigation agency can file an additional prosecution complaint. "Today, to a limited extent, I am agreeable to the prayer of Jain 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. At least a part of the prayer overlaps," ED counsel Zoheb Hussain told the High Court today..Hossain informed the Court that there have been certain additional developments in the 2017 disproportionate assets case against Jain, which is being probed by both the ED and the CBI. Now, the CBI has filed a supplementary chargesheet and scope of the proceeds of crime allegedly amassed by Jain has been expanded, Hussain said. "The quantum of the disproportionate assets has now increased to ₹3.95 crores from ₹1.47 crores. The scope has been expanded. Cognizance has been taken by the trial court. This is all happening in the predicate case," Hussain said. He, therefore, urged the Court to defer further trial court proceedings in the money laundering case until the ED can file a supplementary prosecution complaint which takes into account these developments. The Court issued notice after hearing these preliminary submissions. Senior Advocate N Hariharan accepted notice on behalf of Jain. .The case against Jain involves allegations that he had acquired movable properties in the name of various persons between 2015 and 2017 which he could not satisfactorily account for.The CBI first filed a corruption case against him. Later, the ED also filed a case on allegations that several companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries amounting to ₹4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.Jain was arrested by the ED in 2022. He was released on bail in October 2024. Before this, he also intermittently got medical bail between between May 2023 and March 2024..[Live Coverage]