The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) accorded sanction for a Central Bureau of Investigation  (CBI) inquiry against Satyendar Jain jailed AAP leader, for allegedly extorting `10 crore from conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar as “protection money”.

Sources said the sanction comes under the Prevention of Corruption (POC) Act.Jain and former Tihar Jail DG Sandeep Goel were accused of running an extortion racket from Tihar and demanding protection money from high-profile inmates, it was alleged. The development came as Delhi chief minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

Early this year, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena sanctioned the CBI inquiry into extortion charges against Satyendar Jain. Saxena also referred the matter to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) for necessary action in the matter, officials added. In a letter seeking the LG’s nod to probe the extortion charges, CBI had in November last year written that Jain is accused of running a high-profile extortion racket from Tihar Jail and demanding `10 crore as “protection money” from Chandrashekhar to enable him to “live peacefully and comfortably in jail”, officials from the LG office said. Sukash Chandrashekhar and Satyendra Jain were fellow inmates in Tihar jail.

The allegations were made by the conman who said Jain extorted money in various tranches during 2018-21, either personally or through his accomplices — to enable him (Sukesh) live comfortably in different jails of Delhi — Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli. Sukesh had claimed that he paid over `50 crore to AAP for an “important” post in the party, `10 crore to jailed minister Satyendar Jain. He had also accused Goel and one Mukesh Prasad of extorting `12.5 crore in various tranches during 2019-22 from him. Jain, Goel, Prasad and Kumar are accused of misusing their official positions as public servants in extending undue favour to Sukesh and other high-profile inmates in Delhi jails for valuable considerations.

In his letter, Sukesh claimed that he knew Jain since 2015 and has “contributed” more than `50 crore to the AAP “in promise of giving me an important post in the party” in the south and helping him with a Rajya Sabha seat.

He also claimed that after that after his arrest in 2017, Jain, who was also Jail Minister, asked him whether he had disclosed his contribution to AAP.

Earlier on February 9, 2024, LG sanctioned a CBI inquiry against Raj Kumar, the then superintendent of Tihar jail, for extorting money at the behest of Jain and Sandeep Goel, the former DG of Tihar jail.