The Ministry of Home Affairs approved a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into Satyendar Jain, the jailed leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on charges of extorting Rs 10 crore from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as protection money, according to sources cited by news agency ANI. Jain, along with former Tihar Jail Director General Sandeep Goel, has been accused of operating an extortion racket from Tihar and demanding money for protection from high-profile inmates. This development comes at a time when Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged liquor policy scam.
Earlier this year, VK Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, approved the request for a CBI investigation into allegations of extortion against Satyendar Jain. In a letter sent in November of the previous year, the CBI stated that Jain was accused of operating an influential extortion scheme from Tihar Jail. He allegedly demanded ₹10 crore as protection money from Chandrashekhar, with the intention of ensuring a peaceful and comfortable life for himself in jail.
The conman accused Jain of extorting money in multiple installments between 2018 and 2021. These payments were allegedly made either by Jain himself or through his associates. The purpose of the money was to provide a comfortable living for Sukesh in different prisons in Delhi, namely Tihar, Rohini, and Mandoli.
Satyendar Jain, who was taken into custody in May 2022 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, had his previous request for bail rejected by the Supreme Court in March of this year. The highest court instructed him to turn himself in regarding the money laundering case. Following an incident in the jail bathroom, he was granted temporary medical bail on May 26, 2023. While on bail, he underwent a spinal surgery.
