200 cr money laundering case: Delhi HC issues notice to ED on Pinki Irani's bail plea

On January 11, 2022, the trial court had rejected Irani's bail petition in the matter.

The bench of Justice Mukta Gupta on Wednesday issued notice to the probe agency and sought a response of it and listed the matter for February 14, 2022, for further hearing.

The bench also noted the submission of Advocate Yoginder Handoo, appearing for Pinki Irani that, since November 25 the petitioner was under the 24x7 guard and watch of the Enforcement officials, in Claridges Hotel and Park Hotel and officially arrested on December 9, 2021.

The plea submits that the allegations of violation of provisions of PMLA against the applicant are misconceived on facts and untenable in law, which the trial court has failed to appreciate and do not make out any case on facts and law against the applicant under the provisions of PMLA.

The petition further submits that the grounds of arrest and the accusations against her were never communicated to the applicant and otherwise could not be comprehended without a copy of the complaint already filed by the Enforcement Directorate. The allegations against the applicant are on the face of it vague and rollover even though the applicant continues to be in custody.

Last month, the Enforcement Directorate confronted Mumbai-based Pinki Irani with Sukesh Chandrasekar inside Tihar Jail.

According to the ED, Pinki Irani introduced Chandrasekhar to Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez. After taking requisite permission of the court, the ED carried out the joint questioning of the two. The two were asked the same set of questions. How the two knew each other and whether Pinki helped in illegal money laundering operations. Before her arrest, Pinki Irani was also confronted with Jacqueline Fernandez.

Sukesh Chandrasekar recently has purportedly issued a press statement which has been released by his lawyer Anant Malik in which he had denied charges of extortion and has asked why was Shivinder Singh's wife Aditi Singh not probed if she paid Rs 200 crores as extortion.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar says a lot about it is being said and dictated about me in a case involving me. He says it's wrong to say that he's a "conman" or "Thug" as he has not been convicted yet.

The ED has earlier questioned Fernandez in Rs 200 crore money laundering case linked to Chandrasekhar. Another actress Nora Fatehi was also questioned by the ED here in connection with the same case. ED is looking into various people who are directly or indirectly connected to this case. Reports suggest that the ED is looking into the possibility that money was invested abroad and it was led by Chandrasekhar, who is accused in 21 cases.

This ED case is based on an FIR filed by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against Sukesh Chandrasekhar who is accused of cheating and extorting Aditi Singh, wife of the former promoter of Religare Enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh, who was arrested in October 2019 in a case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd.

Chandrasekhar and his associates reportedly took money from Aditi after posing as government officials and promising to get bail for her husband. Chandrasekhar reportedly persuaded Aditi to transfer money by impersonating a central government official over a spoof call while he was lodged in Rohini jail and promised to manage bail for her husband.

Both Chandrasekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul were arrested by the Delhi Police in September for their alleged role in the duping case.

The Delhi Police has so far arrested 13 people in connection with the case. The ED suspects that Chandrasekhar had extorted money from several people while he was in jail.

At the time of the incident, Chandrashekhar was lodged in Delhi's Rohini jail and was running an extortion racket from behind the bars.

In September, the ED had arrested two aides of jailed conman against whom the Delhi Police recently invoked stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). Chandrasekhar was allegedly running the cheating and extortion racket in connivance with jail officials and some associates outside. (ANI)