Page 30 - Enforcement Directorate

ED attaches fresh assets in PMLA case against UP-based bike taxi aggregator

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 5 crore as part of a money laundering investigation against an Uttar Pradesh-based bike taxi aggregator and its promoters. A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been issued against the company, Hello Ride Limited, its directors, presidents, agents and others, the ED said in a statement. The attached properties, which include agricultural land and plots, are located in Prayagraj, Kanpur and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The total value of these properties is Rs 5.35 crore, it said. The ED had earlier frozen properties worth Rs 2.38 crore in this case and the total attachment now stands at Rs 7.73 crore. The money laundering case stems from about three dozen FIRs filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against the company and its promoters Abhay Kumar Kushwaha, Neelam Verma, Nikhil Kushwah, Rajesh Pandey, Shaqeel Ahmad, Ragini Gupta and others. Abhay Kushwaha alon

CBI arrests CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case; SC to hear bail plea

Delhi excise policy case: CBI arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal; Supreme Court granted Kejriwal permission to withdraw his petition and submit a new one challenging the Delhi HC decision

Jet Airways' Naresh Goyal moves HC, seeks extension of interim medical bail

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal has moved the Bombay High Court seeking extension of the two-month interim medical bail granted to him earlier. On May 6, the high court had granted interim bail for two months on medical grounds to Goyal, arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Goyal, 75, has now filed an application seeking extension of the same. The plea said his medical condition continues to remain poor and that he has also lost his wife to cancer on May 16. The application came up for hearing on Tuesday before a single bench of Justice Manish Pitale. The court referred to a circular issued by the high court in February, stating that the applications where earlier pleas were considered and decided by a particular judge shall be placed before the same bench. Justice Pitale directed the high court's registry department to place Goyal's application before the single bench of Justice N J Jamadar, who had granted him interim bail in May for two ...

Money laundering: TN minister Senthil Balaji's remand extended till July 1

A sessions court on Tuesday extended the remand of former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, till July 1. Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, before whom Senthil Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video-conferencing from the Central Puzhal Prison here, also extended his judicial custody till July 1. When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, the ED filed its counter affidavits to the three petitions filed by Senthil Balaji. The judge posted to July 1, further hearing of these petitions. In one petition, Senthil Balaji sought to defer the present proceedings and adjourn the case to a later date. In two others, he sought to furnish the missing documents in "Relied Upon Document Nos-16 and 17"--copies of counterfoil challans relating to his account, which were collected by the ED in its investigation, to him. Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023 by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jo

NEET-UG: CBI collects phones, burnt question paper from police; updates

The CBI collected evidence from Bihar's Economic Offences Unit (EOU), which includes a partially burnt question paper, mobile phones, laptops, and post-dated cheques

Bail order perverse, Kejriwal neck deep in money laundering: ED tells HC

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday told the Delhi High Court that the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was based on "perverse" findings as it did not consider the material demonstrating his "neck deep involvement" in the offence of money laundering linked to the alleged excise scam. In a written note filed in relation to its plea seeking a stay on the trial court's decision, the agency contended the order suffers from a "jurisdictional defect" since it was not given a proper opportunity to argue its case. It also said the trial judge did not record her satisfaction that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence as per section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). On June 20, Special Judge Niyay Bindu, who sat as the vacation judge, granted bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case, saying the Enforcement Directorate (ED) failed to furnish direct evidence linking him to the proceeds of crime

NEET-UG 2024: Legal battle heats up, SC denies urgent probe request

The Supreme Court declined to immediately hear a plea seeking CBI and ED investigation into alleged NEET-UG 2024 irregularities

Amber Dalal case: ED raids Mumbai properties, seizes Rs 37-cr worth deposit

Bank and demat account deposits apart from cash worth about Rs 37 crore has been seized by the ED as part of a money laundering probe against a Mumbai-based financial consultant and his company who are alleged to have duped investors of Rs 600 crore through a Ponzi scheme. The federal agency said on Sunday that the action was undertaken after carrying out raids in the metropolitan city on June 21 against Amber Dalal and his company Ritz Consultancy Services. The Enforcement Directorate case of money laundering stems from a Mumbai Police FIR that charged the Chartered Accountant and his company with taking money from investors through a "suspected Ponzi scheme that promised high returns." Dalal "absconded" with this money after giving initial returns. It has been gathered that Dalal raised more than Rs 600 crore from 1,300 investors, the ED said in a statement. He was arrested by the EOW, Mumbai Police and is presently under judicial custody, it said. Dalal raised money from invest

Fresh plea in Supreme Court seeks CBI, ED enquiry into NEET-UG exam

A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the CBI and the ED to investigate alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG held on May 5. The petition, filed by 10 students who had appeared for the exam, has also sought a direction to Bihar Police to expedite the investigation in the case and file a report before the apex court. "The petitioners are fully aware of the ramifications of the cancellation of the examination but there is absolutely no other alternative. "The NEET UG Examination of 2024 had many other irregularities, in particular, the gross negligence on the part of the authorities to make the question papers available to the candidates on time. In some places, the wrong set of question papers was distributed and later recalled," the plea said. The top court had earlier sought responses from the Centre, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and others on a slew of petitions, including those seeking scrapping of the NEET-UG 2024 exam

ED raids in Ranchi recover Rs 1 crore cash, 100 bullets in land grab case

The Enforcement Directorate has seized Rs 1 crore in cash and 100 live bullet rounds following raids in Ranchi as part of an alleged land grab-linked money laundering investigation against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and others, officials said Saturday. The seizure was made on Friday evening from the Kanke road premise of a person identified as Kamlesh Singh. The raids were being carried out in the alleged land grab case against former CM and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren but pertains to a different land plot, according to sources. The federal agency has also registered a police case under the Arms Act in connection with the seizure of the live ammunition, they said. More than 25 persons including Soren, IAS officer and former Ranchi deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan, Bhanu Pratap Prasad and others have been arrested by the ED as part of the investigation into the case. Land parcels worth Rs 266 crore, including a clutch of plots spread across

Bail to Kejriwal exposed BJP conspiracy, so ED challenged it: Sanjay Singh

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making a mockery of the justice system after the Delhi High Court put on hold a trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. Singh said the trial court's bail to the Delhi chief minister "exposed" the conspiracy of the BJP and the party should apologise to the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal. Taking to X, Singh said in a post in Hindi, "Look at the hooliganism of the Modi government, the trial court's order has not yet come, even a copy of the order has not been received, so Modi's ED reached the High Court to challenge which order? What is happening in this country? "Modi ji, why are you making a mockery of the justice system? The entire country is watching you?" the AAP MP said. At a press conference, Singh termed the trial court order was "historic" and completely "exposed" the role of the BJP government and ED operated by ..

ED acting as if Kejriwal 'most wanted terrorist in India': Sunita Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal lashed out at the ED for challenging her husband's bail order in the high court, accusing it of acting as if the AAP national convener was the "most wanted terrorist in India". Speaking in south Delhi's Bhogal where Delhi Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite hunger strike to press on her demand for getting more water from Haryana, Sunita Kejriwal said dictatorship in the country has crossed all limits. "It was only yesterday your chief minister got bail. In the morning, the order was supposed to be uploaded. Even before the order was uploaded, the ED approached the Delhi High Court. This happened as if Kejriwal is the most wanted terrorist in India," Sunita Kejriwal said. "Dictatorship in the country has crossed all limits. The ED does not want to give anyone liberty and has gone to the high court against the chief minister demanding a stay (on his bail). The high court's decision is yet to come. We hope the high court

ED failed to give evidence linking CM Kejriwal to proceeds of crime: Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) failed to furnish direct evidence linking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the proceeds of crime in the money laundering case against him, a Delhi court has said while ordering his release on bail. The order passed on Thursday has, however, been stayed by the Delhi High Court on an appeal by the ED. The trial court order was made available to the media on Friday. In the order granting relief to Kejriwal, Special Judge Niyay Bindu held that prima facie his guilt was yet to be established. "It may be possible that some persons known to the applicant are having involvement in an offence....but ED has failed to give any direct evidence against the applicant in respect of the proceeds of crime," the judge said. She also questioned the ED's silence on Kejriwal's assertion that he was arrested in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam without having been named in the CBI FIR or the ECIR registered by the anti-money laundering .

Timeline of Kejriwal's arrest and bail pleas in the Delhi excise case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's release from Tihar jail was blocked by the Delhi high court on June 21 after the ED urged for an urgent hearing

ED challenges order granting bail to Kejriwal, says not adequately heard

ED has challenged the order dated June 20, 2024, passed by Special Judge (Vacation Judge), Rouse Avenue District Courts that granted bail to Kejriwal

ED challenged Delhi CM's bail even before it was uploaded: Sunita Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal on Friday claimed that the ED challenged her husband's bail order even before it was uploaded on the trial court's website. Speaking in south Delhi's Bhogal where Delhi Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite hunger strike to get more water from Haryana, Sunita Kejriwal said dictatorship in the country has crossed all limits and the Delhi CM was being treated as a "most wanted terrorist". "Even before the bail order was uploaded, the ED went to the high court to get it stayed. Dictatorship has crossed all limits in the country. The high court order is yet to come. We hope that the court will do justice," she said. The Delhi High Court on Friday put on hold the trial court order granting bail to the chief minister till it hears the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging the relief granted to him in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. The ED mentioned its plea challenging the trial court's orde

Excise policy case: High drama unfolds as Delhi HC blocks Kejriwal's bail

The Rouse Avenue court had granted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regular bail in Delhi excise case on June 20, requiring a bond of Rs 1,00,000

Excise policy: Delhi Court reserves order on Kejriwal's bail application

The Delhi court reserved its decision on an application seeking permission for Sunita Kejriwal to participate via video conference in CM Kejriwal's examination by the medical board

ED conducts raids in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Nagpur in Rs 20K-cr bank fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday searched about 35 premises in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Nagpur as part of a money laundering probe against a company and its promoters accused of perpetrating an alleged bank loan fraud of more than Rs 20,000 crore, official sources said. The raids are being carried out on the Amtek Group and its directors, including Arvind Dham, Gautam Malhotra and others. About 35 business and residential premises in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai and Nagpur are being raided since this morning, the sources said. The probe stems from a CBI FIR against a group entity of Amtek-- ACIL Limited-- on allegations of a bank fraud of more than Rs 20,000 crore in a number of listed companies which were finally taken over in NCLT proceedings at nominal price leaving the consortium of banks with nominal recovery, they said. The Supreme Court too had sought an ED probe, the sources said. This, as per the ED, led to a loss of about Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 crore to the exchequer,

ED makes 3rd arrest in Jal Jeevan Mission irregularities case in Rajasthan

The Enforcement Directorate has made a fresh arrest in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme being implemented in Rajasthan. Mahesh Mittal, proprietor of Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company, was taken into custody on Wednesday. He was produced before a court that sent him to ED custody till June 24. The central agency early this week had arrested Padamchand Jain, proprietor of Shree Shyam Tubewell Company. The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) launched by the Union government aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and it is being implemented in Rajasthan by the state's Public Health Engineering (PHE) department. A man named Piyush Jain was the first to be arrested in this case by the federal agency in February. The agency's investigation found Padamchand Jain and others were involved in giving bribes to public servants in order to obtain illegal protection, obtaining tenders, ..