On Saturday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena granted authorization to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate an inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against incarcerated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain over his purported involvement in an alleged extortion scheme.
The investigating agency has leveled accusations against Jain, alleging that he accepted protection money from various "high-profile inmates," including the alleged swindler Sukesh Chandrasekhar, in return for facilitating their comfortable and peaceful existence within the confines of the prison.
Jain, who previously held significant portfolios in the Delhi Cabinet such as health, home, and Public Works Department (PWD), was apprehended in May 2022 on charges of money laundering. According to the CBI, the former Delhi minister purportedly extorted Rs 10 crore from Chandrasekhar as part of the purported 'protection money' arrangement.
The CBI, in its correspondence seeking approval for the investigation, accused a conglomerate of individuals, including the then DG Prison Sandeep Goel and the then Additional Inspector General of Prisons Mukesh Prasad, along with associated personnel and private individuals, of fostering a widespread corruption and extortion network within Delhi's correctional facilities.
Presently, Jain is out on interim bail, which was granted on medical grounds. The CBI had earlier submitted two separate requests to the LG on November 10, seeking consent to proceed with the investigation against Jain and other prison officials.
Meanwhile, the AAP denounced the actions of the investigative agency, denouncing it as a travesty of justice. An AAP representative rebutted the CBI's actions, emphasizing that the inquiry against Satyendar Jain and others solely relied on Sukesh Chandrasekhar's testimony. The party categorically refuted any association, communication, or monetary transactions between Jain and Sukesh Chandrasekhar or any of his associates.
Chandrasekhar, who was apprehended on allegations of financial malfeasance, filed a complaint with the Delhi LG, alleging that he had disbursed Rs 10 crore to Jain in installments in exchange for his security within Delhi's correctional institutions.
