Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena on Saturday gave sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct an inquiry beneath the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA) in opposition to jailed Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) chief Satyendar Jain for his alleged involvement in an extortion racket.
The probe company has accused Jain of receiving protection money from several “high profile prisoners”, together with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar, in change for enabling them to stay peacefully and comfortably in jail.
Jain held a number of key portfolios within the Delhi Cupboard, together with well being, dwelling and Public Works Division (PWD), and was arrested in Could 2022 in a cash laundering case. The previous Delhi minister allegedly extorted Rs 10 crore from Chandrasekhar as ‘safety cash’, CBI has stated.
“A high-level corruption and extortion racket was flourishing within the Delhi jails in connivance with the then DG Jail Sandeep Goel after which Extra Inspector Basic of Prisons Mukesh Prasad together with affiliate officers, non-public individuals and accomplices,” the CBI had charged in its letter looking for permission to launch the investigation into the matter.
Jain is currently out on interim bail, granted to him on medical grounds. The CBI had on November 10 written to LG looking for his approval for conducting the inquiry in opposition to Jain and different jail officers in two separate letters.
In the meantime, AAP had referred to as the probe company’s motion a mockery of the regulation.
“The CBI has sought LG’s permission for conducting inquiry in opposition to Satyendar Jain and others based mostly solely on the assertion of Sukesh Chandrasekhar. That is nothing however a mockery of the regulation. AAP categorically denies any affiliation, communication, not to mention any cash transaction between Jain and Sukesh Chandrasekhar or any of his associates,” an AAP official had stated.
Chandrasekhar, who was arrested on charge of alleged financial fraud, filed a criticism with the Delhi Lt Governor alleging that he had paid Rs 10 crore to Jain in installments for his security in Delhi prisons.