Page 46 - Enforcement Directorate

ED attaches Rs 12 cr worth assets of former TMC member Shajahan Sheikh

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached over a dozen properties worth Rs 12.78 crore of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh including bank deposits, an apartment, and agricultural and fishery land in Sandeshkhali and Kolkata in West Bengal. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach these assets, the agency said in a statement. A team of ED officials was attacked by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 when they went to raid Sheikh's house at Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The strongman allegedly has close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, who is being probed by the federal agency in a money laundering case linked to the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal. Sheikh was arrested on February 29 by the West Bengal Police in the ED attack case, 55 days after he went underground following the alleged assault on the ED team. The TM

Attack on ED officers: Calcutta HC transfers Sandeshkhali case to CBI

The court also directed that the custody of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, who was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29 in connection with the attack, be handed over to the central agency

Court summons ex-CM Soren for disobeying ED notices in land grab case

A court here has summoned incarcerated former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren next month holding him prima facie guilty of disobeying notices issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering probe linked to an alleged land grab case. The agency had filed a complaint against the senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader sometime back, saying he had failed to join the investigation under seven summonses issued to him, the first being on August 14 last year. He should be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code's section 174 (non-attendance in obedience to an order from public servant), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said in its complaint. Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 on money laundering charges following a second round of questioning at his official residence in Ranchi. He resigned as the chief minister before he was arrested. The 48-year-old JMM leader is under judicial custody at present. "From the contents of the complainant (ED) and the

Kejriwal skips 8th ED summon, says ready to appear virtually after Mar 12

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday skipped the eighth summons by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the excise policy case and expressed readiness to appear before the agency through video-conferencing March 12, government sources said. Sources in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the agency was examining Kejriwal's response. The agency might not allow Kejriwal's request to appear virtually and might issue a ninth summons to him for questioning in the case, they said. Kejriwal, in a press conference, said it was written in law that ED proceedings are like judicial proceedings. "That means the agency is like a court. In a court, any party is allowed to be present through video conferencing. If I am asking for video-conferencing, which is my right, I hope they will allow it," he said. The chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener also said he has no objection over a live streaming of his appearance before the agency if it so decides. "This is n

Salman Khurshid's wife, 2 others laundered govt funds, alleges ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday alleged that senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid's wife Louise Khurshid and two others "laundered" Rs 71.50 lakh in central government funds for their personal gain. The federal agency said in a statement that its has provisionally attached 15 agricultural land parcels located in the Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh and some bank deposits, worth a combined Rs 45.92 lakh, of the Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A probe found that "grant-in-aid of Rs 71.50 lakh received by the trust was not utilised for holding camps sanctioned by the Government of India but was laundered by Pratyush Shukla, a representative of the trust, Mohammad Athar, secretary to the trust, and Louise Khurshid, project director of the trust, for the interest of the trust and their personal gain", the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed. In this way, the fund received as grant-in-aid was laundered for .

ED questions Niranajn Hiranandani, his son Darshan in Fema investigation

The Enforcement Directorate has questioned Niranjan Hiranandani, the promoter of prominent Mumbai-based realty company Hiranandani Group, in a foreign exchange violation case, official sources said Monday. Niranajn Hiranandani and his son Darshan Hiranandani were asked to join the investigation by the central agency at its office here as part of a probe being conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Darshan Hiranandani has been living in Dubai for the past several years. About four premises of the group in and around Mumbai were searched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month. Apart from some foreign transactions, the agency is stated to be probing into the beneficiaries of a British Virgin Islands-based trust allegedly linked to the Hiranandani Group's promoters. The group has said it will co-operate with the ED in this FEMA investigation. Official sources said this ED probe is not linked to another FEMA investigation being conducted against TMC leader

TMC urges EC to ensure central agencies do not impede electoral process

The Trinamool Congress on Monday urged the Election Commission to ensure that central agencies must not impede the electoral process. The TMC delegation also appealed to the commission to make sure that "central forces are not pressurised by the BJP". Terming BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari as a "habitual offender", the TMC asked EC members to "keep a close watch" on him. The party demanded that Lok Sabha polls to the 42 parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal be conducted in a single day and not in phases. The party delegation, which met the full bench of EC here, said that the commission should accept 11 voter IDs on the polling day. The EC bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, which is in the state, held meetings with representatives of political parties during the day. The EC team will also hold parleys with district magistrates, superintendents of police and other officials of the state government, an official said. It will also meet Chief Electoral Officer

Attack on ED officers: HC stays probe transfer from WB Police to CBI

The Calcutta High Court on Monday reserved order in a prayer by the Enforcement Directorate for transfer of investigation from the West Bengal Police to CBI in connection with an attack on ED officials when they went to raid the premises of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh at Sandeshkhali. Hearing in the matter before a division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam was concluded following submissions by the ED, the state and the CBI. Alleging that the state police were biased, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju submitted they purposely arrested Sheikh following an FIR by the ED on the attack on its officials by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 at Sandeshkhali, even though more than 40 other cases are pending against him for years. The investigation in the case was handed over to the CID by the state government from the Basirhat Police after Sheikh's arrest. Raju claimed that this was done to deny the CBI custody of Sheikh even if the probe is transferred to it, as the

ED intensifies probe in Mahadev betting app case, 2 more accused arrested

According to ED lawyer Saurabh Pandey, Suraj Chokhani, the Managing Director of Ability Games Ltd Company, is a close associate of Tibrewal

Kejriwal agrees to appear before ED virtually, seeks date after March 12

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his reply to the latest ED summons related to the excise policy case has expressed readiness to appear before the agency through video-conferencing after March 12, government sources said on Monday. Kejriwal has so far skipped multiple summonses of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), calling them illegal and asking the agency to wait as the matter was in court. The chief minister reiterated that the summonses are "illegal" but still he was ready to answer the questions by the probe agency, the sources said. Kejriwal also has to appear before a city court on March 16. The court has sought his personal appearance in a complaint case filed by the ED over skipping of its summonses by the him.

Calcutta HC judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay says he will resign on Tuesday

Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, whose rulings on various education-related issues in the state stirred political debates, said he will resign on Tuesday. Justice Gangopadhyay declined to comment on whether he intends to enter politics, stating that he would address all media inquiries after submitting his resignation. "I will resign from the post of Justice of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday," he told reporters outside his residence here on Sunday. Justice Gangopadhyay said he will submit his resignation to the President of India in the first hour on Tuesday, with copies sent to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. He has issued several directives instructing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe allegations of irregularities in the recruitment processes of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools.

Mahadev betting scam: After raids, ED freezes assets worth Rs 580 crore

ED probe in the Mahadev online gaming and betting app has indicated the purported involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh

Request Suvendu to share Shajahan's whereabouts with ED, CBI: Kunal Ghosh

The TMC spokesperson claimed that Shahjahan got inducted into the TMC holding Adhikari's hands when the latter was in the TMC and the duo was even spotted in photographs together

Sebi grants relief to investor Shankar Sharma, 4 others in Brightcom case

In the confirmatory order issued on Wednesday, the market watchdog revoked the bar on Sharma from selling his stake in the company after he submitted details of the transactions

CBI, ED can also arrest Shajahan Sheikh apart from state police: Cal HC

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed that Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, the main accused in sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal Police. On a prayer by the state's advocate general, the court clarified its order of February 26 in which it had ordered the arrest of Sheikh by the police authority. A division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam clarified that the court in its February 7 order had only stayed the constitution of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI and West Bengal Police by a single bench to probe an attack on ED officials. The division bench directed that it will be "well open to the CBI or the ED also to arrest" the absconding Sheikh, noting that he has been on the run for a substantial period. ED officials were attacked by a nearly 1,000-member strong mob at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on

Mahadev App case: ED raids over 15 locations in West Bengal, Mumbai, NCR

A total of nine persons have been arrested by the ED in this case till now

ED issues 8th summon to Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi excise policy scam case

The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the eighth time for his questioning in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said on Tuesday. They said Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, has been asked to depose on March 4 at the agency's headquarters here. On Monday, Kejriwal, 55, skipped the seventh summons issued to him in the case, saying he would appear before the agency if a court ordered him to do so. A city court, approached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over Kejriwal skipping its summonses, has directed the chief minister to appear before it on March 16. The ED, while issuing the eighth summons, rejected the contention that a fresh notice for Kejriwal's attendance was wrong as the matter was sub-judice.

ED raids premises of RJD MLA, husband in money laundering case in Bihar

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of RJD MLA Kiran Devi, her husband and former legislator Arun Yadav and some others as part of a money laundering probe linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets, official sources said. Kiran Devi is a sitting MLA of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD). She represents the Sandesh constituency in Bhojpur district. Arun Yadav represented the seat from 2015 to 2020. According to the sources, when ED sleuths reached Kiran Devi's residence on Tuesday morning, the MLA was not there. Searches were also conducted at the premises linked to the MLA in Bhojpur's Agiaon. Despite several attempts by PTI, the RJD MLA was not available for comments on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action. The ED's money laundering case against Arun Yadav and Kiran Devi stems from a total of 16 FIRs filed by the Bihar Police at various police stations in Ara district. The agency filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Mone

State machinery should help ED find if an offence was committed: SC to TN

The state machinery should help the Enforcement Directorate in finding out if an offence has been committed as there is no harm in it, the Supreme Court told the Tamil Nadu government on Monday. The apex court had last week questioned the Tamil Nadu government for filing a plea in the Madras High Court against the ED for its probe in a money laundering case. The central probe agency had summoned the district collectors of Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Thanjavur and Ariyalur in connection with its probe in a money laundering case related to alleged illegal sand mining. The state government along with the bureaucrats had moved the high court that stayed the summons issued by the ED. The probe agency has moved the top court against the high court order. The ED's plea came up for hearing on Monday before a bench of justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal. "State and its officers should help the ED in finding out if there is any offence," the bench observed, adding, "If the state

SC seeks ED's reply to Sanjay Singh's bail plea in Delhi excise policy scam

The Supreme Court sought the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) response on Monday on a bail plea moved by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh in a money-laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued a notice to the federal agency on the plea, in which Singh has challenged the Delhi High Court order that refused to grant bail to him in the case. The bench tagged the bail plea along with another plea of Singh, in which he has challenged his arrest and remand in the money-laundering case. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing in the court on behalf of Singh, sought the issuance of a notice on the bail plea and requested for tagging the plea along with the pending matter. He said the pending matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on March 5 and therefore, both the matters should be taken up together. The bench agreed to the request and said both the pleas will be taken up together. The high co