Page 18 - Enforcement Directorate

ED attaches Rs 31-cr worth Ranchi land 'belonging' to Ex-Jharkhand CM Soren

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi allegedly owned by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his associates, the federal agency said on Thursday. The ED had filed a charge sheet against the 48-year-old JMM leader and four others -- Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Raj Kumar Pahan, Hilariyas Kachhap and Binod Singh -- on March 30 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here. The court took cognisance of the prosecution complaint on Thursday, the ED said in a statement. The ED requested the court for confiscation of the 8.86-acre plot. Soren was arrested in this case by the ED in January after he was questioned at his official residence in Ranchi. He resigned as the chief minister shortly before his arrest. He is in judicial custody and currently lodged in the Birsa Munda central jail in Ranchi's Hotwar. The money laundering investigation stems from multiple FIRs ..

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Delhi CM Kejriwal urges court to allow more time with lawyer in jail

Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday moved a city court urging it to allow him to spend more time with his lawyer in order to prepare for cases pending against him in several parts of the country. Kejriwal moved the application claiming that two meetings every week with his lawyer, as permitted by the court, was not sufficient since he was facing multiple cases in various states and needed more time for consultation. The AAP leader urged the court to increase the number of meetings to five per week. The application is likely to come up for hearing before special judge for ED cases Kaveri Baweja on Friday. The court had on April 1 sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The ED has accused the AAP leader of being involved in the "entire conspiracy of Delhi liquor scam, in drafting and implementation of the policy, for favouring and benefiting from the quid pro, receiving kickbacks and .

Visit your areas, solve problems of people: Kejriwal's message to AAP MLAs

Arvind Kejriwal has asked AAP MLAs to visit their constituencies daily and ensure people do not face problems, his wife Sunita Kejriwal said on Thursday, as she conveyed the Delhi chief minister's message from Tihar jail. In a digital briefing, she said that Kejriwal, in his message, said even though he is in jail, the two crore people of Delhi, who are his family, should not face any problems. "We need to solve their problems apart from official work," Sunita Kejriwal said while delivering the AAP chief's message. Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy, is in judicial custody till April 15. "The people of Delhi should not face any trouble because I am in jail. The two crore people of Delhi are my family, no one in my family should be sad for any reason. God bless everyone," the chief minister said in his message. An official statement said despite being in jail, the chief minister is concerned abo

Court directs ED to supply copy of charge sheet to accused in DJB case

A Delhi court on Thursday directed the ED to supply a copy of the charge sheet to the accused in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in awarding tenders of the Delhi Jal Board. During the proceedings, two accused - Jagdish Arora, former DJB chief engineer, and Anil Aggarwal, a contractor -- who are currently under judicial custody -- were produced before the court by the jail authorities, in pursuance to court orders passed on Wednesday. In pursuance to the summons issued by the court while taking cognisance of the charge sheet on Wednesday, another accused, Tejinder Singh, also appeared before the court, while the fourth accused, D K Mittal, former NBCC general manager, moved an application seeking exemption from personal appearance for the day. The court has posted the matter for hearing on April 20 for scrutiny of documents. The about 8,000-page-long prosecution complaint, which included 140 operational pages apart from annexures, was filed by the federal .

Kejriwal's day-4 in Tihar: Doesn't watch TV, five visitors allowed. Details

Delhi liquor policy 'scam': Arvind Kejriwal was sent to 15-day judicial custody by a Delhi court on April 1, linked to an ongoing money laundering investigation

Delhi HC refuses to entertain plea seeking removal of Kejriwal as CM

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refuses to entertain a PIL seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as chief minister following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The high court said at times, personal interest has to be subordinate to national interest. "At times, personal interest has to be subordinate to national interest but that is his personal call. We are a court of law and have to go by the law. Your remedy does not lie here, it lies elsewhere. You go before the competent forum," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora said. The bench said it has recently dismissed a similar PIL seeking removal of Kejriwal from the post of chief minister and thus, it cannot take a different view. As the court refused to interfere in the issue, petitioner Vishnu Gupta's lawyer said he has instructions to withdraw the petition and that he will approach the Lieutenant Governor with his plea. The court dispo

ED files prosecution complaint against Ex-DJB official, others under PMLA

In addition to Jagdish Kumar Arora, the complaint has been filed against Anil Kumar Agarwal (sub-contracto); DK Mittal (former employee of NBCC) and NKG Infrastructure Limited (contractor of DJB)

BJP wants Kejriwal to resign to stop free water, electricity: Sanjay Singh

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, hours after being released from the Tihar jail on Wednesday, slammed the BJP in a speech alleging it wanted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation to stop free water, electricity and Mohalla clinics in the capital. Singh, who got bail in the alleged excise policy scam from the Supreme Court on Tuesday, also asked the BJP if the prime minister will join the probe if police from the opposition-ruled Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu knocked at his doors. He said AAP leaders Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were sent to the jail because they wanted to provide good education, health facilities, free bus ride and Rs 1000 to women of Delhi. Singh said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a family. He went to meet Kejriwal's family and will also meet the families of Sisodia and Jain, he added. He asked the people of the country to be wary of "dictators" who would bring tears to their eyes, saying Kejriwal will bring smile to their faces and prov

Excise policy: HC reserves verdict on Kejriwal's petition against ED arrest

Delhi liquor policy case: ED rebuffed CM Arvind Kejriwal's petition, stating the offence of money laundering was prima facie established and the investigation was still in its early stages

Kejriwal tells HC his arrest has 'ulterior motive' to disintegrate AAP

Jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeks relief from court, says Enforcement Directorate (ED) didn't record his statement the night he was arrested

SC directs deletion of Bansuri Swaraj's name from Sanjay Singh's bail order

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the deletion of advocate Bansuri Swaraj's name from its order of granting bail to AAP leader Sanjay Singh after the Enforcement Directorate said her name got added to the list due to an "inadvertent error". A bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, "Ok, we will correct the order." Advocate Zoheb Hussain, appearing for the ED, said Swaraj did not appear in the case nor did she represent the agency in the matter. "Due to some inadvertent error her name is reflected in the appearance slip," Hussain said. Bansuri Swaraj is a BJP candidate from the New Delhi parliamentary constituency. On Tuesday, the top court granted Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh bail in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam after the Enforcement Directorate said it had no objections. Singh, who has been in jail for six months, was ordered to be released by a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice P B Varale.

Kejriwal lost 4.5 kg since arrest, BJP putting his health at risk: Atishi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been rapidly losing weight since his arrest on March 21, senior AAP leader Atishi claimed on Wednesday and accused the BJP of putting his health at risk by keeping him in jail. However, the administration of Tihar jail, where Kejriwal is lodged till April 15, has denied the claims. A senior Tihar jail official said Kejriwal's vitals are normal. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case. He has been sent to judicial custody till April 15. "Arvind Kejriwal ji is a severe diabetic. Despite health issues, he remained engaged 24 hours a day in the service of the country. Since his arrest, Kejriwal's weight has decreased by 4.5 kg. This is very worrying. The BJP is putting his health at risk by putting him in jail," she alleged in a post on X in Hindi. If something happens to Arvind Kejriwal, not just the whole country, even God will not forgive them, she added. The Delhi chief minister

Apple refuses to help ED in unlocking Arvind Kejriwal's iPhone: Report

Indian agency made an informal request to tech giant after arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21

AAP says Kejriwal 'unwell'; Jail guards on alert for saving CM from inmates

AAP leader Atishi claimed Arvind Kejriwal has lost 4.5 kg since his arrest. Meanwhile, the guards were put on alert after inputs suggested a few inmates may harm Arvind Kejriwal for 'fame'

Kejriwal ko Aashirwaad: Delhi min to announce phase II of WhatsApp campaign

With the campaign, a WhatsApp number has been shared through which people can send their messages

Bhushan Steel case: HC issues notice on ED's plea challenging bail grant

The agency has challenged the order granting bail to Archana Ajay Mittal on medical grounds

Sandeshkhali violence: TMC accuses BJP of misusing central probe agencies

The BJP and TMC on Tuesday engaged in a verbal duel over arrested TMC leader and Sandeshkhali strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, with the saffron party leveling accusations of human trafficking and drug peddling against Sheikh, and the TMC alleging a conspiracy by the BJP of misusing central agencies against the party. At a press conference, BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay claimed that Sheikh was involved in trafficking drugs from Afghanistan and humans from Myanmar and Bangladesh, with significant financial transactions linked to these activities. Sheikh, suspended by the TMC, was arrested by the state police on February 29. He and his associates are accused of land-grabbing and sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali. Chattopadhyay alleged that Sheikh had connections with several high-ranking TMC leaders, including ministers, and had never faced consequences for his actions until now. "From illegally carving out bheries (private fisheries) to trafficking of human and drug

Arvind Kejriwal 'kingpin', 'key conspirator' in excise scam: ED to Delhi HC

The ED on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the "kingpin" and the "key conspirator" of the "excise scam". The federal agency opposed the AAP convener's petition challenging his arrest in the related money laundering case. In its reply filed to the petition, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said there were "reasons to believe on the basis of material in possession" that Kejriwal was "guilty of the offence of money laundering". "Sh Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of NCT of Delhi, is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi Excise Scam in collusion with Ministers of Delhi Govt, AAP leaders and other persons.. Sh Arvind Kejriwal was directly involved in the formulation of the Excise Policy 2021-22. "This policy was being drafted considering the favours to be granted to the South Group and was formed in collusion with Sh Vijay Nair, Sh Manish Sisodia and members representatives of the South Group," said the response. Kejriwal is involved in t

Delhi Court flags deficiencies, delays in ED money laundering probe

A Delhi Court criticised the Enforcement Directorate over a money laundering case in which the ED chose not to prosecute two individuals who had incriminating evidence against them