More trouble for AAP? President clears MHA's request to prosecute Satyendar Jain

President Droupadi Murmu has approved the prosecution of former Delhi minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain in a money-laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), sources told India Today TV on Tuesday. The decision comes after a request from the Union Home Ministry sought sanction under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, citing sufficient evidence to move forward with the case in court.

The ED’s case against Jain, which is based on an August 2017 FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleges that the former Delhi minister laundered money through four shell companies. According to the CBI’s December 2018 chargesheet, Jain's assets were found to be around ₹1.47 crore — 217 per cent more than his known sources of income between 2015 and 2017.

Jain, who was arrested in May 2022 while serving as Delhi's health and power minister, was accused of receiving ₹4.81 crore in accommodation entries from shell companies in exchange for cash allegedly funneled to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route. The ED claims these funds were used to purchase agricultural land or repay loans for land acquisitions in and around Delhi.

The former Delhi minister is currently out on bail, but he has been charge-sheeted in the case. Following the president's approval, the ED is expected to move forward with the prosecution in court.

The AAP has strongly opposed the development, calling it a "political conspiracy" by the BJP-led central government to weaken the party. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that investigative agencies were being weaponized to target AAP leaders. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had previously defended Jain, calling him a "hardcore honest and patriot" who was being framed in a false case.

(With inputs from Jitendra Bahadur Singh)