Senior AAP leader Satyendar Jain granted bail on Friday after more than two years in prison in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case. The Rouse Avenue Court, citing a “delay in trial” and Jain’s “long incarceration,” set the bail at ₹50,000 with two sureties of the same amount. Special Judge Vishal Gogne stated, “Considering the delay in trial and long incarceration of 18 months, and the fact that the trial will take long to start, let alone conclude, the accused is favourably suited for relief.”
Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May 2022 on charges of laundering money through four companies allegedly linked to him. The ED’s case is based on an FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court’s decision to release Jain comes a month after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the same case. Jain’s release has sparked a jubilant response from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with party members claiming that the BJP’s “conspiracy” had failed.
On X (formerly Twitter), AAP wrote, “Satyamev Jayate. Another conspiracy of BJP failed as Satyendra Jain ji, who brought about a health revolution in Delhi by building magnificent Mohalla Clinics, got bail from the court. The real face of BJP has been exposed again to the entire country.”
Kejriwal also expressed his elation, saying, “Satyendra Jain got bail after spending more than two years in jail. What was his fault? Several raids were conducted at his place, and not a single penny was recovered. His only fault was that he built mohalla clinics and made all treatment free for the people of Delhi. Modi ji put him in jail to close down mohalla clinics and stop free treatment for the poor. But God is with us. Today, he too has been released. Welcome back Satyendra!”
Manish Sisodia, another senior AAP leader, echoed similar sentiments, criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. “It makes me happy that our party’s senior leader Satyendar Jain has been granted bail. PM Modi and BJP should apologize to the people of Delhi because Satyendar Jain was sent to jail, which stalled the development work at Delhi hospitals and mohalla clinics. They jailed me, Satyendar Jain, and Arvind Kejriwal, but couldn’t find a single penny at our places. They levelled false allegations against us, and their ED jailed us based on those allegations,” Sisodia said.
Both Sisodia and Kejriwal were also jailed alongside Jain as part of the investigations by the ED and CBI into the Delhi excise policy scam case. Jain’s release is seen as a significant development for the party, with its leaders hoping to regain momentum as the trial continues.
