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The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi on Monday allowed the interim bail plea of businessman Amit Katyal and granted him interim bail for four weeks.
He was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 linked to a land-for-job case. He had sought interim bail on medical grounds. Special judge Vishal Gogne granted interim bail to Amit Katyal on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties of Rs 2 lakh each. He has been granted interim bail for four weeks for medical treatment. He will appear before the court when directed. He is directed to surrender before the jail authorities upon the expiry of interim bail. He has been permitted to receive treatment in a hospital within Delhi NCR. He is directed to furnish the details of the hospital and treatment obtained on his surrender before jail authorities upon the expiry of his interim bail. The accused shall not leave the country during this period. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa argued on behalf of Amit Katyal. His application was ED's Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain along with advocate Manish Jain. The ED filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) on January 8, 2024, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 against Amit Katyal, Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, Hema Yadav, Hridyanand Chaudhary and two companies viz. A K Infosystems Private Limited, AB Exports Pvt. Ltd. before the Rouse Avenue court. The Court has taken cognizance of the PC on January 27, 2024, and issued notices to the accused persons to be present on February 9, 2024, for further trial. It is stated that ED initiated investigations based on FIR registered by CBI related to Land for Job Scam alleging that Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Railway Minister, indulged in corruption for the appointment of Group D substitutes in Indian Railways during the period 2004- 2009. The candidates were told to transfer land as a bribe in return for jobs in Indian Railways as per FIR. The CBI has also filed a charge sheet. It is alleged by the ED that family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav namely Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, and Hema Yadav who are made accused in the PC had received land parcel(s) from a family of candidates [who were selected as Group D substitutes in Indian Railways] for nominal amounts. Hridyanand Chaudhary, another accused in PC is a former employee in gaushala of Rabri Devi who had acquired property from one of the candidates and later transferred the same to Hema Yadav. The companies viz. AK Infosystems Private Limited and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd. were shell companies that received proceeds of crime from family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ED said in a statement. It added that Immovable properties were acquired in the said companies by front men and thereafter shares were transferred to family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav for nominal amounts. Amit Katyal used to manage these companies for Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family. Earlier, ED had conducted search operations on March 10, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of cash of Rs 1 crore approx. and valuables equivalent to about Rs 1.25 Crore. ED has also provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 6.02 Crore on July 29, 2023. ED had arrested Amit Katyal on November 11, 2023, for knowingly assisting Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in money laundering, the statement said. (ANI)
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