MHA Seeks President's Approval for Prosecution of AAP Leader Satyendar Jain in Money Laundering Case

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formally requested the President to grant prosecution sanction against former Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Satyendar Jain. The request was made under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, with officials stating that the sanction is based on an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has gathered "adequate evidence" for the case.

Jain is currently facing charges in a money-laundering case linked to alleged hawala dealings. He was arrested by the ED in May 2022 and has since been released on bail. The Enforcement Directorate has already filed a chargesheet against Jain.

The money-laundering case stems from an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August 2017, accusing Jain and others of possessing disproportionate assets. In December 2018, the CBI filed a chargesheet revealing that Jain’s assets were allegedly ₹1.47 crore higher than his known sources of income from 2015 to 2017, a 217 percent increase.

After being incarcerated for over a year, Jain walked out of Tihar Jail on October 18. He was granted bail by a city court in connection with the money-laundering case, with the court citing that there was “no likelihood” of the trial starting soon. Jain was released on a personal bond of ₹50,000, considering the length of his imprisonment.

Jain had been in jail since May 2022, except for a 10-month period between May 26, 2023, and March 18, 2024, when he was granted medical bail. In the recent Delhi assembly elections, Jain lost the Shakur Basti seat to BJP candidate Karnail Singh by nearly 21,000 votes.​