The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain till July 11 on medical grounds in a money laundering case.
A vacation bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and P S Narasimha ordered the AAP leader not to talk to press or media during this period or influence the witnesses.
The court turned down a request by the Enforcement Directorate for an independent evaluation of his health conditions by AIIMS, Delhi and RML Hospital here.
The bench, however, directed all his health records to be produced before the court on July 10.
Jain is currently admitted to G B Pant hospital.
His counsel, senior advocate A M Singhvi, submitted that Jain has lost 35 kgs weight and suffered from muscular atrophy, apart from other diseases. He also pointed out that the petitioner has been in jail for about one year.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, on behalf of the ED, opposed the plea, contending he had earlier pretended illness to get himself admitted to a hospital.
His medical conditions should be independently evaluated by AIIMS, Raju said, adding the agency was not opposed to medical bail if his conditions required so.
"All his medical reports must be examined not just a pinch of salt, but a large amount of salt. He pretends illness and gets himself admitted to hospital. There should be independent assessment, no prejudice would be caused to him. He is Jain and believed on fasting. Let him be evaluated," he said.
The court, however, said it was granting him interim bail on medical grounds and would examine his medical reports on July 10.
The court further directed Jain to not influence any of the witnesses or leave Delhi without permission.
Jain, arrested on May 30, 2022, has been lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail.
A trial court had, on November 17, 2022, dismissed the leader's bail application.
According to the trial court, it has prima facie come on record that Jain was "actually involved" in hiding the proceeds of crime by paying cash to entry operators based in Kolkata and then bringing the money into three companies against the sale of shares to demonstrate that their revenues were clean.
The court had also pointed out that it had prima facie come on record that Jain was actually involved in concealing the proceeds of crime by giving cash to the Kolkata based entry operators and thereafter, bringing the cash into three companies namely, M/s Manglayatan Developers/Projects Pvt Ltd, M/s Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd and M/s Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd against the sale of shares to show that income of these companies was untainted one.