Page 32 - Enforcement Directorate

ED to respond to Satyendar Jain's bail plea in money laundering case

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Enforcement Directorate to respond to a plea by jailed former minister Satyendar Jain seeking default bail in a money laundering case. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notice to the ED and asked it to file a status report on the matter. The court also called for the nominal roll of Jain from the jail and listed the matter for further hearing on July 9. Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him. He has challenged a trial court's May 15 order by which he was denied default bail in the case. Jain has contended that the ED failed to complete the investigation in all respects within the statutory period and the prosecution complaint (charge sheet), which was incomplete, was filed in an attempt to deprive him of his right to default bail under the provisions of Section 167(2) of the CrPC. The ED arrested Jain on May 30 2022, in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR lodged against him in 2

Jharkhand HC seeks ED's response in bail plea filed by Ex-CM Hemant Soren

The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply on the bail application moved by former chief minister Hemant Soren. Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, filed the petition before the high court on Monday and requested an early hearing of the matter. Appearing on behalf of Soren before a bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay, senior advocate Kapil Sibal pleaded that the JMM leader was a victim of political conspiracy. The court directed the ED to file a response in the matter and set June 10 as the next date of the hearing. In his petition, Soren pleaded before the court that his name does not figure in any of the documents about 8.5 acres of land in the Bargain circle and no offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act is made out against him. He also claimed that the ED was relying only on statements of some people who ha

LS polls: Misuse of ED, CBI will not help BJP retain power, says Alka Lamba

The misuse of the ED, CBI and electoral bonds will not help the BJP retain power and its slogan of "400 paar" will remain a slogan, said Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba here on Monday. Addressing a press conference, she said the Narendra Modi government has been giving benefits to the business houses and waived off Rs 16 lakh crore to 21 industrialists. Lamba said she toured 27 states and no Modi wave is visible anywhere as claimed by the BJP. At present, there are only two issues -- unemployment and inflation, she added. "Misuse of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the electoral bonds will not help the BJP to retain power," she said. The Congress has already announced that it will give Rs 8,500 per month to the eldest women of poor families and will also scrap the Agniveer scheme once voted to power. She said Himachal Pradesh has given a message to the people of the rest of the country by throwing the "double engine government" o

Court extends ED remand of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam for 3 more days

A special PMLA court in Ranchi on Monday extended Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam's remand with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for three more days in connection with an alleged money laundering case, his legal representatives said. Alam had been taken into custody by the ED on May 15 following two days of interrogation at the agency's office. Initially remanded for six days by the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court starting May 17, his remand was subsequently extended for five days on May 22. Alam's lawyer, Kishlay Prasad, said that the ED prayed for a three-day extension of remand for further inquiry, which was granted by the court. "The ED indicated the necessity for additional inquiries and the requirement for details regarding immovable properties," Prasad elaborated. Alam, who serves as the state parliamentary affairs minister and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand Assembly, is under investigation for alleged irregularities and bribery in the state rural

Excise scam: ED opposes Kavitha's bail plea, says release to affect probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday opposed in the Delhi High Court the bail plea of BRS leader K Kavitha in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, saying her release would adversely affect further investigation to unearth the "deep-rooted, multi-layered conspiracy". The ED, in its reply to Kavitha's bail plea, contended that the Telangana lawmaker is a "highly influential" individual and stands accused of having committed a grave economic offence. She has the potential to tamper with evidence and influence witnesses, it said. K Kavitha has conspired with other people and actively involved in payment of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore and then in establishing the money laundering ecosystem, that is, M/s Indo Spirits through her proxy which generated proceeds of crime of Rs 192.8 crore. By such acts, K Kavitha is involved in various processes and activities relating to proceeds of crime (POC) to the tune of Rs 292.8 crore, the probe agency said

Excise policy 'scam': Delhi HC extends Manish Sisodia's custody till May 31

Manish Sisodia, currently in judicial custody, is an accused in the probe related to the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy 2021-22

Supreme Court denies bail to Hemant Soren, postpones hearing to Wednesday

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren whether a writ court can examine the legality of his arrest after the trial court has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case against him related to an alleged land scam. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, which posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday, asked Soren's counsel to first satisfy the court as to how interim bail can be granted to him for campaigning in the Lok Sabha poll when his application for regular bail has been dismissed. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chowdhury, appearing for Soren, sought time till Wednesday to respond to the court's queries. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, opposed Soren's interim bail plea, contending his case was different from that of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail on May 10 for

ED raids ex-DPIIT Secy Ramesh Abhishek's premises in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of retired IAS officer and former Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) secretary Ramesh Abhishek as part of a disproportionate assets linked money laundering probe against him, official sources said. The ED case stems from a recent CBI FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the 1982-batch officer. He was raided by the CBI in February. Abhishek retired in 2019 from the DPIIT (erstwhile Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion). The ED is searching the premises of Abhishek as part of a money laundering investigation, the sources said. The CBI had alleged in its FIR that Abhishek enriched himself "illicitly" after retirement by receiving "huge amounts" as consultation fee from private companies whose matters he had dealt while in service. The CBI and ED have also booked his daughter Vanessa. The retired officer also held the post of chairman, Forward Markets ...

ED alleges AAP received Rs 7.08 crore in foreign funds, violated FCRA

The ED alleged that AAP received funds from various sources spanning countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Oman

ED moves court against Kejriwal, seeks extension of his judicial custody

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is currently out of prison on interim bail and is expected to surrender on June 2

Delhi Court fixes May 20 to consider ED's chargesheet against Kejriwal, AAP

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22

Delhi liquor policy 'scam': Setback for AAP as ED names party as accused

Delhi liquor policy scam updates: Enforcement Directorate says it will file the prosecution complaint today, naming the AAP as an accused

No exception made in granting interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal: SC to ED

The Supreme Court said Thursday that it has not made any exception for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in granting him interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls and "critical analysis of the judgment is welcome". A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta refused to consider claims and counters of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Kejriwal's lawyer on statements made related to the interim bail to the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor. "We have not made any exception for anybody, we said in our order what we felt was justified," the bench said, adding that critical analysis of the judgment is "welcome". Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to Kejriwal's speeches in poll rallies that if people voted for AAP, he would not have to go back to prison on June 2. "It is his assumption, we cannot say anything," the bench told Mehta. A statement made by a senior Union minister, who was not named during the proceedings, was pointed out by

Delhi HC seeks CBI reply on K Kavitha's bail petition in liquor policy case

BRS leader K Kavitha was arrested by the CBI on April 11 and is in judicial custody in Tihar Jail in Delhi

ED can't arrest after special court takes cognisance of PMLA complaint: SC

Case before the Supreme Court arose from a Punjab and Haryana High Court decision that denied pre-arrest bail to multiple accused in a money laundering case

ED can't arrest accused after special court takes cognisance: SC

The Supreme Court Thursday held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot arrest an accused under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a special court has taken cognisance of the complaint of money laundering. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said when an accused appears before a court in pursuance of a summons, the agency will have to apply to the court concerned to get his custody. "If the accused appears before the special court by summons (issued by court), it cannot be treated that he is in custody," it said. "Accused who appeared before the court pursuant to the summons not required to apply for bail, and thus twin conditions of Section 45 of PMLA not applicable," the bench said in its judgment. The twin conditions state that when an accused in a money laundering case applies for bail, the court has to first allow the public prosecutor to be heard and only when it is satisfied that the accused is not guilty and unlikely to commi

ED arrests Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate Wednesday arrested Congress leader and Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam in a money laundering case, official sources said. The 70-year-old was taken into custody at the agency's zonal office here under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after about six hours of interrogation on the second day of questioning, the sources said. He was grilled by the federal agency Tuesday for over nine hours and his statement was also recorded. The agency had last week arrested Alam's personal secretary and state administrative service officer Sanjeev Kumar Lal (52) and the latter's domestic help Jahangir Alam (42) following the seizure of more than Rs 32 crore cash from a flat linked to them. The money laundering investigation pertains to alleged irregularities and payment of "bribes" in the state rural development department. While seeking the remand of the two arrested persons, the ED had informed a special PMLA court here

Excise policy scam: HC lists for July 11 Kejriwal's plea against ED summons

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday listed for hearing on July 11 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging the summonses issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its probe into the excise policy-linked money laundering case. A bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait granted four more weeks to the AAP leader, who was given interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court for campaigning in the Lok Sabha Elections, to file a rejoinder to the reply submitted by the ED. The counsel for the ED has earlier said the petition against the summonses was infructuous after Kejriwal's arrest by the agency on March 21 in the money laundering case following the high court's refusal to grant him interim protection from coercive action. On Wednesday, the agency's lawyer said the petitioner must choose the forum before which he would press his issues. The court also observed that a single judge of the high court, while rejecting the AAP leader's petition against

Enforcement Directorate to name AAP as accused in liquor policy 'scam' case

Delhi excise policy case: The Delhi court deferred the hearing on the consideration of the 6th supplementary chargesheet filed by the ED to May 20

Court reserves order on bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid

A Delhi court on Monday reserved for May 28 its order on the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid, who is an accused in the case of alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 northeast Delhi communal riots. Khalid has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and has been in jail since September 2020. Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai, who was hearing the second bail plea of Khalid before the special court, said that the order will be pronounced on May 28. Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad filed his written submissions against Khalid's plea. Earlier, Prasad had argued against granting him bail, saying Khalid's WhatsApp chat revealed that he was in the habit of creating social media narratives to influence bail hearings. Khalid's counsel disputed this argument, asking whether sharing WhatsApp messages was a criminal or terror act.