SC asks ED to trace, secure absconding Mahadev betting app accused

The Supreme Court has directed the Enforcement Directorate to trace and secure the absconding Mahadev betting app co-founder, who has fled from Dubai to an undisclosed location, saying the white-collar crime accused cannot be allowed to treat courts and probe agencies as "instruments to play around with".

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma took serious note of the accused Ravi Uppal evading the law enforcement agencies and said, "This shocks our conscience and the court has to do something about it."  Uppal, who is evading law enforcement agencies in India, has reportedly fled Dubai, where he was under surveillance, to an undisclosed location forcing the UAE authorities to initiate steps for closure of his extradition proceedings.

"For kingpins like him, the courts and investigating agencies are mere instruments to play around with. We have to do something about it," the bench said, asking the ED to trace and secure him.

"We will dismiss his petition. Find out how to secure him. He seems to be quite resourceful flying from one place to the other," the court said on Tuesday.

The top court was hearing a plea of Uppal in which he has challenged the Chhattisgarh High Court order of March 22 directing him to join the trial in the money laundering case pending before a Raipur trial court.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, informed the court that Uppal seems to have escaped from Dubai, where he was detained in 2023.

Raju said the accused, who are involved in financial crimes often try to flee to locations where there are no extradition treaties with India like the country has with the United Arab Emirates.

"You can be extradited from the UAE as India has an extradition treaty with them. So, he may have gone to locations like the British Virgin Islands as India does not have an extradition treaty with that country," he submitted.

The bench, which posted the matter for further hearing on November 14, as his lawyer sought time, asked the counsel to convince Uppal to return to India and face the proceedings.

Justice Sundresh said, "He cannot keep running all the time. He has to participate in this process. In matters of granting bail, we are liberal. We will consider his bail application at the appropriate stage."  The bench told Raju to examine whether the recent verdict of the apex court that allows probe agencies to summon lawyers representing the accused under exceptional circumstances, can be used to get details of those absconding the law.

The top court told Uppal's lawyer that no more adjournment shall be granted in the matter.

Uppal was detained in Dubai in December 2023 due to an Interpol red notice and the ED, which is probing the Mahadev betting app case, then initiated the extradition proceedings by writing to the UAE authorities in 2024.

The UAE authorities had later released Uppal but was kept under surveillance.

According to the agencies, Uppal along with his associate Sourabh Chandrakar found the Mahadev betting app in 2018 allowing multiple platforms and apps to place illegal bets on online games.

The probe agencies have claimed the scam was worth Rs 6,000 crore and spread to different states across the country.

His associate Chandrakar was arrested in Dubai in October 2024 and the extradition request against him is also still pending.

The initial investigations by the Chhattisgarh police had named former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as an accused and the probe was transferred to the CBI for further investigation.