Enforcement Directorate gets Delhi HC notice on Satyendar Jain's plea against PMLA case transfer to new judge

PMLA case: Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta on September 19, stayed the proceedings of the bail hearing before special judge Geetanjali Goel and issued notice to Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and other co-accused in the case.

Image courtesy: ANI (file pic)

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea moved by Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain against the transfer of proceedings in the money laundering case against him to a new judge. Seeking the probe agency`s reply in the matter, Justice Yogesh Khanna listed the further hearing for September 28.

Earlier, the proceedings of Jain`s case were heard in a special court where Special Judge Geetanjali Goel was dealing with the matter. However, following the ED`s "apprehension of bias" against the Special Judge in deciding the matter, it was transferred to the Special Court of Judge Vikas Dhull.

Satyendar Jain had approached the High Court against the new development.

During the course of the hearing, Jain`s counsel argued that there was urgency in the matter and even the apex court had asked that his bail plea be decided in 14 days."The district judge did not consider the issues that were to be considered. It sends a wrong message," Jain`s counsel Senior advocate N. Hariharan argued.

On September 19, Principal District and Sessions Judge Vinay Kumar Gupta stayed the proceedings of the bail hearing before special judge Geetanjali Goel and issued notice to Jain and other co-accused in the case. Jain, whose bail has been denied in various hearings since his arrest in the PMLA case on May 30, is presently lodged in Tihar jail.

As per the earlier submissions of the ED, Jain was in de-facto control of shell companies used for alleged money laundering, and the co-accused persons Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain were just dummies.

The ED had raised certain contentions in connection with the bail arguments being heard by the special judge.