The Supreme Court Today (June 25th) said that bail matters should not be adjourned unnecessarily. A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti, therefore, called upon the Delhi High Court to decide the bail plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain without delay.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday emphasized that bail matters should not be adjourned unnecessarily and called upon the Delhi High Court to expedite the bail plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain.
A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti remarked,
“It goes without saying that bail prayers are not unnecessarily to be adjourned and thus we hope and pray that High Court takes a call on the matter when it is listed next.”
This observation came after Jain’s counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, highlighted the six-week adjournment of Jain’s bail plea during the court’s vacation. Singhvi stated,
“Six weeks adjournment over the vacation. Earlier it was held that such cases be dealt with within a week.”
The Supreme Court assured that the High Court would ensure the matter is decided promptly, noting,
“We will observe that High Court will ensure that matter is decided (fast).”
However, the Bench declined to entertain Jain’s plea that the issue involves an important question of law warranting Supreme Court’s intervention. The Bench observed,
“Why should we observe for deferment of your case (before High Court). Let High Court decide and then Supreme Court can take a call.”
Thus, the Supreme Court disposed of the plea, urging the High Court to avoid unnecessary delays. The order stated,
“This petition is against an order of Delhi High Court adjourning the hearing of bail application by Satyendra Jain. Senior Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submits that the question of law which would govern the decision of High Court is engaging attention of this court and thus this matter be tagged with Supreme Court case. We do not find merit in that submission as High Court is yet to take a call and if High Court takes a decision then a remedy is before Supreme Court.”
The Court was addressing Jain’s protest against the prolonged adjournment of his default bail plea by the Delhi High Court. On May 28, the High Court issued notice on the bail plea but adjourned the matter till July 9.
Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in May 2022 on charges of money laundering. He remained in jail for a year before the Supreme Court granted him interim bail on medical grounds in 2023. After the interim bail expired, the Supreme Court rejected his regular bail plea, ordering him to surrender immediately. Prior to this, both the Delhi trial court and the Delhi High Court had rejected his regular bail pleas.
In May, the Delhi High Court sought the ED’s response to a default bail plea filed by Jain. The ED’s case against Jain originates from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under Sections 13(2) (criminal misconduct by public servant) read with 13(e) (disproportionate assets) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The FIR alleged that Jain acquired movable properties in the name of various persons between 2015 and 2017, which he could not satisfactorily account for.
Subsequently, the ED alleged that several companies beneficially owned and controlled by Jain received accommodation entries amounting to Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through a hawala route.
The Supreme Court’s directive to the Delhi High Court aims to ensure that the bail plea of Satyendar Jain is addressed without undue delay, reflecting the judiciary’s commitment to uphold the principles of justice and timely adjudication in bail matters.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Satyendar Jain
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