The Delhi High Court on Monday called for a response from AAP leader Satyendar Jain on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking to defer arguments on framing of charges in a money laundering case against him.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 3. In the main petition, Mr Jain has sought deferring of arguments on charges on the ground that the investigation in the case is yet to conclude and it would be in the interest of justice that arguments on charge are heard only once the probe is complete.

The ED in its application also urged the court to direct the special court to defer the hearing on the point of charge until the supplementary prosecution complaint (chargesheet) is filed by it.

“To a limited extent I am agreeable to what the petitioner (Jain) is saying that till the time we file the supplementary prosecution complaint, defer the hearing on charges. No prejudice will be caused to the petitioner because that was also his prayer in the main petition,” the ED’s counsel argued.

He said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also filed a supplementary chargesheet in the scheduled offence before the trial court on January 3 and has enlarged the quantum of the disproportionate assets from Rs 1.47 crore to Rs 3.95 crore.

The ED’s counsel said deferment was imperative to enable it to file a supplementary chargesheet in view of the development in the CBI case.

The court had earlier sought the ED’s response on Mr Jain’s petition in which he urged that the arguments on framing of charges in the money laundering case be stayed till the pendency of this plea.

The ED had arrested Mr Jain in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR registered against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Mr Jain, who was arrested on May 30, 2022 by the ED and granted bail on October 18, 2024 by the trial court, is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.