Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, arrested in an alleged money laundering case, will remain in Enforcement Directorate, or ED, custody till June 13 (Monday).
The Enforcement Directorate, which investigates financial crimes, had sought five-day custody of Mr Jain after it told the court that it had gathered various incriminating documents and digital records against him during a recent raid at his premises.
The assets were seized during a search operation carried out at the premises of Satyendar Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and his accomplices on June 7.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Mr Jain, argued that the probe agency does not have anything against the AAP leader to investigate the case. The court, however, declined Mr Jain’s request and granted the probe agency Mr Jain’s extension till Monday.
Mr Jain’s arrest on May 30 triggered a fresh war between the Aam Aadmi party and the BJP-ruled central government with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that the case was “completely false”.
“We have a very strict and honest government. We are hard-core patriots, can get beheaded but can never betray the country. His arrest is politically motivated,” Mr Kejriwal had said, while addressing a press conference over the minister’s arrest.
Mr Jain was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate in April this year attached immovable properties worth ₹ 4.81 crore in the money laundering case related to a Kolkata-based company.
The probe agency had registered a criminal case against the AAP leader based on a FIR lodged by the CBI in which it had been alleged that Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder.
The probe agency claims Mr Jain floated or bought several shell companies in Delhi and laundered black money worth ₹ 16.39 crore through them.
Mr Jain is currently a minister without any portfolio in the Delhi government. Over half-a-dozen portfolios of Jain were transferred to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on June 2.