A Tihar jail superintendent has been suspended for his alleged involvement in providing special treatment to Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain who has been lodged in the prison in a money laundering case.
“Jail Superintendent of Tihar Jail no. 7, Ajit Kumar, DANICS, has been suspended. He has prima facie been found to have committed irregularities that warrant inquiry,” news agency PTI reported citing a source in the prison department of the Delhi Government.
This came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the court that Jain was getting special treatment inside the Tihar Jail.
“Unknown persons were giving massages and foot massages to Jain, even beyond curfew hours. He was given special food,” said Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, appearing for the ED.
The ASG shared certain CCTV images with the court and alleged that most of the time Jain, who was arrested on May 30, was either in hospital or in jail enjoying various facilities.
The AAP had dismissed the allegations, calling them absurd and baseless.
Earlier this month, Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel was transferred from the Tihar Jail, days after incarcerated conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar alleged extortion of Rs 10 crore for protection in prison by Goel and Jain.
BJP MP Pravesh Verma had also alleged that Satyendra Jain is getting VIP treatment in the prison and demanded that he should be shifted from the Tihar Jail.
The ED had arrested Jain and others in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, under which he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.
On July 29, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi had also taken cognisance of an ED chargesheet filed against Jain, prima facie validating the probe agency’s finding that the minister and his family members were involved in laundering of more than Rs 16 crore through four shell companies.
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Source: News18