Anil Ambani tells Supreme Court he won't leave India without nod

Anil Ambani submits an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating he will not travel abroad without permission and will continue cooperating with ED and CBI in the RCOM fraud investigations

Industrialist Anil Ambani has assured the Supreme Court that he will not travel outside India without its prior approval and will continue to assist investigative authorities in the alleged large-scale bank fraud involving Reliance Communications Ltd (RCOM) and its group companies.

 

The undertaking was placed on record through a compliance affidavit filed in response to a public interest litigation by EAS Sarma.

 

The Court had earlier, on February 4, recorded a statement by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ambani, that his client would not leave the country without permission. The affidavit formally reiterates that assurance.

 

Ambani stated that he has remained in India since July 2025, when the present investigations commenced, and has no current plans to travel abroad. He undertook to seek the Court’s approval if any foreign visit becomes necessary.

 

 

The affidavit further records that Ambani has been cooperating with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and will continue to do so. It notes that he has been summoned by the agency and has agreed to appear as required. His statement under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, is presently being recorded while proceedings are pending before the top court.

 

Ambani has also clarified that he served only as a non-executive director in the companies concerned and was not involved in their daily operations or management decisions.

 

According to Sarma's petition, RCOM and its subsidiaries, Reliance Infratel and Reliance Telecom, secured loans totalling ₹31,580 crore between 2013 and 2017 from a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India. A forensic audit commissioned by SBI allegedly found significant diversion of funds, including the use of loan proceeds to repay unrelated borrowings, transfers to connected entities, temporary investments in mutual funds and fixed deposits that were quickly liquidated, and circular transactions allegedly aimed at masking evergreening of loans.

 

The plea contends that the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on August 21, 2025, along with the connected proceedings by the ED, addresses only a portion of the alleged irregularities. It alleges that the roles of bank officials and regulators have not been fully examined despite findings in forensic audits and independent reports.

 

The petitioner has argued that judicial supervision is necessary given the scale of public funds involved.

 

On February 4, the Supreme Court directed the ED to set up a Special Investigation Team to examine the allegations. It also asked the CBI to probe any potential collusion by bank officials in the alleged fraud.