Delhi: In a recent development, the Supreme Court has granted an extension to the interim bail on medical grounds for Satyendar Jain, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This extension has been provided in the context of an ongoing money laundering case, with the new hearing scheduled for November 6. The decision was made by a bench comprising Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Bela M Trivedi, as per an order issued on October 10.

Previously, the Supreme Court had extended Jain's interim bail until October 9, accompanied by a directive that he should not exploit the pending plea as an excuse to delay proceedings in the trial court. Instead, he was urged to actively engage in the trial court proceedings and allow the case to progress.

The court's order on October 10 stated, "The matter is listed for November 6, 2023, at 3 pm before a bench led by Justice AS Bopanna and Justice Bela M Trivedi. In the meantime, the previously granted interim bail is extended until the next hearing date."

During a hearing on the matter in the Supreme Court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that the AAP leader had repeatedly sought adjournments in the trial court, citing the pending bail plea in the Supreme Court. It was claimed that Jain had requested as many as 16 adjournments. Jain, a former Delhi Government minister, initially received six weeks of interim bail from the Supreme Court on May 26 for spinal surgery, which was subsequently extended.

Jain was arrested by the ED in the money laundering case on May 30 the previous year, following a First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2017 under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. In September 2019, the trial court had granted him bail in the CBI case.

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