Punjab AAP MLA Gajanmajra’s bail plea rejected

Chandigarh: A special court has rejected the bail application of Aam Aadmi Party’s Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajanmajra, who is facing charges of a bank fraud amounting to approximately Rs 40 crore. Gajanmajra will now have to seek relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Gajanmajra was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 6, 2023, and has been in jail since then. Before filing his bail plea in a Mohali court, he had withdrawn a previous plea from the Supreme Court, where he had challenged his arrest and remand in connection to the money laundering case linked to the bank fraud.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initiated its probe into the alleged fraud in May 2023 after reports of the Rs 40-crore scam surfaced. Following a raid, the CBI handed over the case to the ED.

The ED then registered a separate case of loan fraud against Gajanmajra in September of the same year. During subsequent raids, the ED seized Rs 32 lakh in cash, multiple mobile phones, and hard drives from Gajanmajra’s property.

Currently, Gajanmajra is lodged in Nabha jail. He was briefly admitted to the hospital twice—once after sustaining injuries from a fall in jail and later due to an illness. His hospital visits sparked controversy in political circles, prompting his return to jail amidst public and political pressure.