On Wednesday, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi dismissed the requests made by former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain, in which he sought the relocation of his pending cases involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to a different court.
Initially, these cases were under the jurisdiction of Special CBI court judge Vikas Dhull.
Previously, Jain had sought bail, which was denied by Judge Dhull's court. During the proceedings, the court had made certain remarks that raised concerns about potential bias in Jain's view.
Consequently, he requested the transfer of his cases to another judge.
However, the Delhi court rejected Jain's plea for a transfer, asserting that strong comments made by a judge during a trial did not necessarily imply bias.
The court conveyed that a judge is expected to conduct proceedings impartially, without any fear or favour. While some orders during proceedings may benefit the prosecution, and others may favour the defence, such orders should not be interpreted as indicative of bias on the part of the presiding judge.
Furthermore, the court clarified that judicial orders are subject to review by higher courts, and merely because some orders may not favour a specific party does not provide adequate grounds for transferring a case.
The court determined that there was no evidence to suggest partiality or lack of impartiality on the part of Judge Dhull, dismissing Jain's assertions of perceived bias as inaccurate.
The two cases against the AAP leader revolve around allegations of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income between February 14, 2015, when he assumed office as a minister in the Government of NCT of Delhi, and May 31, 2017.
While the CBI is investigating alleged corruption in the matter, the ED is focused on the money laundering aspect.
Jain had been granted interim bail in the ED case on medical grounds since May 26 of the same year, following relief provided by the apex court.
In February of that year, Jain, who held positions in health and PWD, resigned from the Delhi Cabinet.
