MHA seeks President’s nod to prosecute AAP’s Satyendar Jain in money laundering case

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has requested President Droupadi Murmu’s sanction to prosecute Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Officials stated that the request was made based on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation, which cited "adequate proof" against Jain in connection with alleged money laundering and disproportionate assets.

Jain was arrested by the ED in May 2022 in a money-laundering case linked to alleged hawala transactions. The case originated from an August 2017 FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which accused Jain and others of possessing disproportionate assets amounting to ₹1.47 crore—reportedly 217% higher than his known sources of income between 2015 and 2017. The CBI filed a chargesheet in December 2018, following which the ED initiated its probe. According to the ED, four companies controlled by Jain received ₹4.81 crore via shell companies, with funds transferred through the hawala route.

At the time of his arrest, Jain was holding key portfolios, including health and power. He was granted bail in October 2023 after an 18-month-long incarceration, with the court citing delays in trial proceedings. During his time in jail, the MHA also sanctioned a CBI inquiry into allegations that Jain had extorted ₹10 crore from jailed conman Sukash Chandrashekhar. The ED claims the laundered funds were used for the direct purchase of agricultural land or to repay loans taken for similar acquisitions.

Jain contested the recent Delhi Assembly elections from the Shakur Basti constituency but lost to BJP’s Karnail Singh by nearly 21,000 votes. His legal troubles continue, with the Supreme Court reserving its verdict on his regular bail plea. Meanwhile, the ED has filed a chargesheet against him, and he remains under investigation for alleged financial irregularities. The Union home ministry’s request for prosecution sanction marks another step in the ongoing legal proceedings.