COURT TO HEAR SATYENDAR JAIN’S CONTEMPT PLEA AGAINST ED TODAY

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court will hear on Monday a plea moved by jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Satyendar Jain seeking contempt proceedings against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly leaking CCTV footage to media.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull on Saturday directed the agency to file its response on Jain’s plea, accusing ED of leaking the CCTV footage purportedly showing the politician getting a massage inside Tihar jail “despite an undertaking given in the court”.

On Saturday, videos purportedly showing Jain receiving massage and meeting visitors in his prison cell emerged, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress demanding Jain’s sacking.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia had said the video shows that Jain was being treated as a VIP in prison.

ED had during a bail hearing earlier accused Jain of getting special treatment inside the jail. The court had ordered the ED and Jain’s legal team not to leak any content of affidavits and video in this regard and had taken their undertakings in the matter.

The court had, however, refused to put any restriction on or pass any direction to the media. It had on November 17 denied bail to Jain and two others in the case.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Sunday demanded a probe against people who met Jain in jail and said that these people need to be identified. Tiwari also demanded Jain’s transfer from Tihar jail.

“Who are all those people who are carrying so many documents in jail and meeting Satyendar Jain? They must be identified,” Tiwari told ANI.

“I am going to write to the court, lieutenant governor and the investigative agencies as to how can a person enter the jail inmate’s room like this?” he said.

ED had arrested Jain in a money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.