BJP Claims Jain Arrest Exposes Corruption in AAP Government

Former minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain bail plea has been dismissed by the Delhi High Court on April 6, 2023

in connection with a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Along with Jain, two co-accused, Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain, were also denied bail for allegedly helping the former minister conceal the proceeds of crime.

Jain had challenged the trial court’s decision of November 17, 2022, which had dismissed his bail plea on the grounds of his involvement in concealing the proceeds of crime. The High Court had reserved the order on his bail plea on March 21 after hearing arguments from both the ED and Jain’s counsel.

The ED had arrested Jain on May 30, 2022, for allegedly laundering money through four companies that were allegedly linked to him.

According to the ED’s investigation, Jain and his associates had allegedly laundered over Rs 100 crore through these companies between 2010 and 2016. The ED had alleged that Jain had received over Rs 16 crore as illegal gratification during this period.

The ED had also claimed that Jain had invested the laundered money in several properties across Delhi and Mumbai. The properties were allegedly purchased in the names of his wife, daughter, and other relatives to conceal the proceeds of crime.

The ED had filed a chargesheet against Jain and his associates in December 2022, accusing them of money laundering, criminal conspiracy, and cheating. The chargesheet had also named several shell companies that were allegedly used to launder the money.

Jain had denied all the allegations against him and had claimed that he was being targeted by the ED because of his political affiliations. He had also claimed that the ED’s case against him was based on “false and fabricated” evidence.

Jain’s arrest had caused a political storm, with the AAP accusing the central government of targeting its leaders. The party had claimed that Jain’s arrest was a “political vendetta” and had alleged that the ED was being used as a tool to silence opposition voices.

The AAP had also claimed that the BJP-led central government was misusing central agencies like the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to target its leaders. The party had accused the government of trying to intimidate and harass its leaders by filing false cases against them.

The Delhi High Court’s decision to dismiss Jain’s bail plea has been welcomed by the BJP, which has accused the AAP of indulging in corruption. The BJP has claimed that Jain’s arrest and subsequent chargesheet have exposed the “corrupt practices” of the AAP government in Delhi.

The BJP has also claimed that the AAP’s political rhetoric against corruption was a “sham” and that the party was using its political power to indulge in corrupt practices.

The AAP, on the other hand, has maintained that Jain is innocent and has accused the ED of trying to frame him in a false case. The party has claimed that the ED’s investigation against Jain was politically motivated and was aimed at tarnishing the image of the AAP government in Delhi.

The AAP has also claimed that the central government was trying to harass and intimidate its leaders by filing false cases against them. The party has accused the BJP of using central agencies like the ED and the CBI to target its leaders.

The case of Satyendar Jain is not an isolated incident, and several politicians and public figures in India have been embroiled in money laundering cases in recent years.

In 2021, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was accused of money laundering and corruption by the ED. Deshmukh had resigned from his post after the Bombay High Court ordered a preliminary inquiry against him.