Kejriwal backs minister, calls ED’S case ‘bogus, motivated’
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed custodial interrogation of Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case that was rubbished by the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as “motivated and completely unsubstantiated” .
Special judge Geetanjali Goel accepted the contention of Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the ED, that the interrogation was necessary to ascertain the accusations pertaining to role of the accused in laundering proceeds of crime, unearth the source of cash, to establish the money trail and to determine the role of various other persons.
Jain was arrested on Monday by the central agency. He was sent to custody till June 9.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kejriwal said, “I studied the case files myself. The case filed against Jain is bogus and completely motivated and unsubstantiated. The AAP and its governments are committed to the virtues of honesty, rectitude and deshbhakti (patriotism). Neither do we engage in corruption of even a single penny nor do we tolerate any kind of graft. We consider corruption the highest form of treason. We will lay down our lives if need be but not engage in corruption.”
According to the ED, companies “beneficially owned and controlled by Jain” received accommodation entries amounting to Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against the cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through hawala. The case is based on a CBI FIR lodged against
Jain in 2017 in which he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.
Even as the court declined Jain’s request for newspapers, books and home-cooked food, it said that Jain would be given food according to his beliefs, a demand which was not opposed by ED.
Aam Aadmi Party MLAS Saurabh Bhardwaj, Somnath Bharti, Madan Lal and several party supporters reached the court for the hearing. Jain’s wife and his two daughters were also present in the court.
At the press conference, Kejriwal called Jain a “true patriot” and said that every AAP worker is “always ready” to go to jail to keep their “movement of honest governance” alive.
The AAP convener said that the agencies under the direct control of the Bjp-led Centre have filed several such “bogus cases” against AAP MLAS. “All of them were acquitted from the court of law. I have been a victim of such cases too. They’ve subjected me to so many raids but they could never frame me. Eventually, Jain too will be declared innocent. Jain is a staunch patriot. Jails can never break his honesty and courage but only add on to it. He gave the world a unique model of Mohalla Clinics. He gave the nation an example of what a health system should be like,” Kejriwal said.
Arguing for the ED in the court, Mehta sought Jain’s custody for 14 days alleging that the latter has been evasive and has not cooperated in the investigation. “There is a chequered trail of money. We don’t know whether the money belonged to him, was he laundering someone else’s money, whether this is the only trail or there is something more. Who are other potential beneficiaries of this money laundering? Evidence disclosed so far has not stopped at these few crores. Tampering of evidence cannot be ruled out,” Mehta told the court.
Mehta also said that while many IPC offences can be committed at the heat of the moment, money laundering is committed with a “cool mind” and is a “calculated offence”.
Senior advocate N Hari Haran, who was representing Jain, opposed the submissions and said that ED’S remand application is a replica of the CBI case, adding that there is nothing new for the custody of the accused.
He told the court that even in the CBI case, the agency “has not been able to point out any source of income”, and added that Jain’s home was searched on two occasions and his bank accounts were seized.
He told the court that Jain was an architect who was given a share in these companies as a consultant.
To this, the SG replied, “It is interesting to know that it is profitable to be a non-practising architect and the consultancy fee is a huge share. No building has been constructed so far. Companies are, as per evidence, controlled by him.”
ED has alleged that Jain, as a minister in the Delhi government, during the period between February 14, 2015 and May 31, 2017, acquired assets in the form of movable and immovable properties in his name and in the name of his family members, which are disproportionate to his “known sources of income”.
During the investigation, many co-accused have explained the modus operandi of transferring cash from Delhi to Kolkata through Hawala operators and in lieu of cash, accommodation entries were layered and received from Kolkata based shell companies into the companies owned by Jain.
The agency also said Jain purchased agricultural lands from these funds, even though Jain denied having any role in taking accommodation entries in his companies.