New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sanjay Badaya, an accused in a money laundering case linked to Rajasthan’s Jal Jeevan Mission scam.
In this case, he allegedly acted as a middleman for a Minister.
A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan passed the order because Piyush Jain, a co-accused who faced similar allegations, had already been granted bail.
The Court also considered that the trial is unlikely to conclude soon, with charges yet to be framed.
The Bench observed, “We find that the allegations made against the present petitioner are almost similar to those against Piyush Jain, who granted bail by this Court on September 9, 2024.
The Top Court said, “Piyush Jain has been added as an accused in the predicate offence, whereas Badaya is not. The amount attributed to Piyush Jain is around Rs 8.87 crores, while for the present applicant, it is alleged he received Rs 3.3 crores of proceeds of crime, with Rs 1.50 crores deposited in his father’s account.”
The Court noted further allegations that both Badaya and Jain facilitated the awarding of contracts from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and received bribes on behalf of the then Minister. However, the Bench pointed out that the Minister in question has not been named as an accused in the case.
The Court said that the substantial evidence in the case is documentary, reducing the risk of tampering, as the prosecution has already seized these documents.
With 50 witnesses to examine and evidence spanning approximately 8,000 pages, the Apex Court observed that an expeditious trial is unlikely. The Bench stated, “Taking into consideration all these aspects, particularly the order passed in Piyush Jain’s case, we are inclined to allow the application.”
Badaya was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 16, 2024, and spent nearly five months in custody.
The case stems from the awarding of two tenders worth Rs 197 crores based on fake certificates. Statements under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by co-accused allege that Badaya facilitated bribe payments and managed PHED employees on behalf of the then Minister, Mahesh Joshi.
After being denied bail by the Rajasthan High Court in November, Badaya approached the Supreme Court.
Senior Advocates Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Atmaram Nadkarni, and Advocate Vivek Jain represented Sanjay Badaya.
Advocate Zoheb Hossain appeared for the ED.
