Need For Independent Evaluation of Health: Probe Agency On Satyender Jain

The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking to get Delhi minister Satyender Jain, arrested in a money laundering case, medically examined at hospitals like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), RML (Ram Manohar Lohia), or Safdarjung Hospital, instead of the state government-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital where he is presently admitted.

The petition was listed for hearing before Justice Yogesh Khanna on Tuesday, but the proceedings could not take place.

While seeking to shift Satyender Jain either to AIIMS, RML Hospital, or Safdarjung Hospital, the ED submitted that there is a need for independent evaluation of his health as before his arrest he was holding the portfolio of Delhi's health minister.

Further, the probe agency claimed that on June 27, the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case had gone to LNJP Hospital where he found that Satyender Jain was sleeping on the patient bed without any cannula on his hand and even the multipara patient monitor was switched off and he was not being monitored by any medical instrument and his wife was present in the room.

"When the IO reached the room, the respondent immediately wore the oxygen mask, the BP apparatus belt, and the monitor was switched on. It was under these suspicious circumstances and the fact that prima facie the condition of the respondent was not such which required hospitalisation, an application was preferred (before the trial court) seeking a direction that he may be admitted to any independent hospital like the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital or AIIMS Hospital at New Delhi for an independent evaluation of his health," it said, adding that the application was dismissed by the trial court.

The Enforcement Directorate has challenged a trial court's July 6 order by which the special judge had rejected the agency's prayer to get the accused medically evaluated by any independent hospital such as Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital or AIIMS, instead of LNJP Hospital.

The agency said Satyender Jain, who was holding the portfolio of Health Minister in the Delhi government, continues to be shown prominently on the Home Page of the website of LNJP Hospital as well as on the plaque in the hospital commemorating the inauguration by him as the guest of honour.

It has also challenged the trial court's July 19 order passed in the interim bail application of Satyender Jain in which the issue of shifting him to some other hospital for proper evaluation was raised.

The trial court had adjourned the matter for arguments on July 29 and had sought a detailed medical report from LNJP Hospital.

"... the Directorate of Enforcement has a serious doubt as to whether the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital or even the GB Pant Hospital would be able to independently assess the medical condition of the respondent (Satyender Jain) herein for the reason that these hospitals continue to prominently display the picture of the respondent on its home page and moreover, as evident from the plaque commemorating the inauguration of Lok Nayak Hospital, it is evident that the same was done in the presence of the respondent herein as the Guest of Honour, who was holding the portfolio of Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi," the petition said.

The plea by ED mentioned that Satyender Jain be examined either by AIIMS, RML, or Safdarjung Hospital.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was arrested on May 30 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was first sent to police custody and thereafter in judicial custody.

The ED had earlier provisionally attached assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of Satyender Jain's family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by him as part of a money laundering probe against him.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)