New Delhi, Jul 27, 2022, IANS

New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking suspension of Satyendar Jain, who is under the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) since May 31 in an alleged money laundering case, as a Cabinet Minister.

The plea was turned down by the bench presided over by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad after the submissions were made on behalf of petitioner former BJP MLA Nand Kishore Garg.

The plea contended that Jain was arrested over his alleged involvement in hawala transactions in 2015-2016 with a Kolkata-based firm. The arrest is repugnant and inconsistent to the rule of law as he is a public servant having a constitutional oath to uphold the rule of law in the interest of the public, it stated.

"Such a scenario was contrary to the provision of law applicable to the public servant who is deemed suspended immediately after the custody of more than 48 hours as per Rule 10 of The Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965," it read.

Jain, whose bail was denied in various hearings since May 31, is currently admitted to a city government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital, as he complained of medical issues.

The CBI has accused Jain, his wife and others of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On March 31, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned and controlled by the minister.

On June 6, the ED conducted raids at multiple locations belonging to Jain, his wife and his accomplices, who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering. The recovery of Rs 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg was made during the raid.