Page 19 - Enforcement Directorate

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

Illegal sand mining case: SC pulls up 5 TN DMs for not appearing before ED

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up five district collectors of Tamil Nadu for not appearing physically before the Enforcement Directorate despite orders in a money laundering probe in connection with alleged illegal sand mining. It directed the officials to appear before the ED personally on April 25. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal said the officials adopted a "cavalier approach" and the action shows they have no respect for the court, law and the Constitution. "In our opinion, such a cavalier approach will land them in a difficult situation. When the court had passed the order directing them to appear in response to the summons issued by the ED, they were expected to obey the same order and remain present before the ED. "This shows that the officers don't have either respect for the court or the law much less the Constitution of India. Such an approach is strongly deprecated," the bench said. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Amit Anand Tiwari, ...

Advised to join BJP or be prepared to be arrested in a month, claims Atishi

Senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Tuesday claimed a person close to her said that she should join the BJP or be prepared to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate within a month. At a press conference here, Atishi claimed that besides herself, three Aam Aadmi Party leaders -- Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Durgesh Pathak and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha -- would also be arrested. The Delhi minister claimed that she was told that in the coming days, the ED would conduct raids at her residence and that of her relatives. The BJP has been rattled by the success of the INDIA bloc's Ramlila Maidan rally on Sunday and has realised that sending Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to jail would not lead to the disintegration of the AAP, she asserted. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested on March 21 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy of his government, was on Monday sent to judicial custody till Apr

Arvind Kejriwal begins 15-day stay in Tihar Jail: All you need to know

Arvind Kejriwal will remain in Delhi's Tihar Jail till April 15 after being sent to judicial custody by a Delhi court on Monday in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam

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Best of BS Opinion: Next phase for RBI, ED action against Opposition, more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

A question of propriety

Timing of enforcement action must be questioned

Arvind Kejriwal called AAP national treasurer confused, says ED in court

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called his party's national treasurer "confused" when he was confronted with his statement on issues related to the affairs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Enforcement Directorate claimed before a court on Monday. The special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court of Judge Kaveri Baweja sent the 55-year-old Kejriwal, also the national convener of the AAP, to judicial custody till April 15 in connection with the money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The ED also alleged that Kejriwal, during his questioning, said AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair "did not report to him" but to his cabinet colleagues Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj and that his interaction with Nair was "limited". Nair was arrested in this case by the ED. The federal agency charged Kejriwal, in its application filed while seeking his judicial custody, of being "evasive", giving "mislead

Excise policy case: Kejriwal gave evasive replies in interrogation, says ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday moved a plea before a court here seeking 15 days' judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was arrested in the alleged Delhi excise policy 'scam' case. Underscoring that Kejriwal was misleading the agency, the ED said it was still investigating the chief minister's role, unearthing the further proceeds of the crime and identifying the other persons involved with the activities related to proceeds of crime. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15. In its remand application, the ED said during Kejriwal's custodial interrogation, he gave "evasive replies" and concealed information. It said the chief minister's statements were taken over a period of nine days and he was confronted with the statements of different witnesses, approvers and other co-accused. The plea listed "few of the glaring examples of evasive and misleading replies" given by Kejriwal. "He (Kejriwal) stated that Vijay Nair di

Cracks in Oppn as Vijayan rakes up Congress' role in probe against Kejriwal

The unity among 18 anti-BJP parties, who gathered in New Delhi to protest the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, showed signs of fracture a day later when veteran CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused the Congress of demanding the ED probe into the Delhi liquor excise policy case. Addressing a press conference amidst his Lok Sabha poll campaign, seeking votes for LDF candidates, who are in direct fight against the Congress-led UDF in many constituencies, Vijayan alleged that it was the grand old party which levelled the allegations against the Delhi government, demanded the ED probe, and lodged a complaint regarding the matter. The Marxist veteran said the huge participation of people in the INDIA bloc rally held in New Delhi a day ago was a strong warning for the BJP. He, however, added that the Congress should also learn a lesson from the rally. Referring to the stand taken by the Congress in the Delhi liquor excise policy case, h

Excise policy case: Kejriwal remanded in judicial custody till April 15

A Delhi court on Monday sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal was produced in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja after his Enforcement Directorate custody came to an end. The ED had sought 15-day judicial custody of Kejriwal, saying he was "totally uncooperative". Speaking to reporters before entering court, the AAP leader said, "Whatever the prime minister is doing(referring to his arrest) is not good for the country". AAP ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal were present in court. The federal probe agency had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with the case. The next day, Special Judge Baweja remanded him in the custody of the ED till March 28. Following this, the court allowed the ED's plea requesting extension of his custodial interrogation by four days till April 1. In its remand application, the probe agency has accused the AAP lead

SC notice to ED on bail plea of Senthil Balaji in money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Enforcement Directorate on the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested last year in connection with a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the agency and directed it to file reply by April 29. The Madras High Court on February 28, while dismissing the bail petition, had said that if he is let out on bail in a case of this nature, it will send a wrong signal and that it will be against larger public interest. It had said the petitioner has suffered incarceration for more than eight months and therefore, it will be more appropriate to direct the special court to dispose of the case within a time frame. "Accordingly, there shall be a direction to the Principal Special Court, Chennai, to dispose of the case within a period of three months from the date of receipt of copy of this order," it had ordered. The high court ordered that the trial shall b

Highlights: Corrupt person, howsoever big, will face action, says PM Modi

LIVE updates: Opposition protests against CM Kejriwal's arrest, BJP unveils lineup of leaders for Tripura LS polls, and more. Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

Suspended TMC leader Sheikh 'shown arrested' after ED grilling inside jail

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday questioned suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh in the Basirhat Correctional Home in connection with cases involving land grabbing and financial irregularities in Sandeshkhali, an official said. Sheikh, who is currently in judicial custody, was also "shown arrested" after he allegedly non-cooperated with the central agency officials during questioning. Even when a person is in judicial custody, he can be shown arrested in respect of any number of other crimes registered elsewhere. "He has been non-cooperative when our officers questioned him inside the jail this afternoon. So we decided to arrest him," the officer told PTI. He was first arrested by the state police in February, and then the CBI earlier this month and by the ED on Saturday. According to the ED sources, Sheikh has played an active role in the multi-crore ration distribution scam and not only siphoned the money abroad but also utilised it in fishing business

Highlights: BJP fields ex-diplomat Taranjit Sandhu from Amritsar, singer Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, ex-Cong MP Preneet Kaur from Patiala for LS 2024

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ED arrests three members of banned PFI on money laundering charges

Three alleged members of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) have been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money-laundering charges, official sources said on Saturday. Abdul Khader Puttur, Anshad Baddrudin and Firoz K were working as physical trainers for the PFI, the sources said, adding that they were arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The arrested accused were produced before a special court here on Saturday. The agency has accused the three men of "imparting" weapons training to the PFI cadre and receiving substantial funds from the proscribed organisation for the same. The PFI was banned under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Centre in September 2022 over its alleged links with terror activities. The PFI was formed in 2006 in Kerala. It had its headquarters in Delhi.

ED submits first chargesheet in Delhi Jal Board money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its first chargesheet in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), official sources said on Saturday. The prosecution complaint was filed by the federal agency before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi on March 28, the sources told PTI. Four individuals and a company have been named as the accused in the chargesheet -- former DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora, contractor Anil Kumar Agarwal, former NBCC general manager D K Mittal, one Tejinder Singh and NKG Infrastructure Limited. The ED has alleged that bribe money generated from corruption in a contract issued by the DJB was "passed on" as election funds to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. The agency had also summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the case, but he did not depose before it. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in another money-laundering c

ED wants AAP's LS poll strategy details from Kejriwal's phone: Atishi

The Enforcement Directorate is working as BJP's political weapon and it wants to get details of AAP's Lok Sabha election strategy by accessing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's phone, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged on Friday. Kejriwal, who is the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the central probe agency on March 21 in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and is in its custody till April 1. Addressing a press conference here, Atishi claimed the insistence of the ED to look into Kejriwal's mobile phone, which is a few months old and did not exist when the policy was formed and implemented, proves that the agency is working as a "political weapon" of the BJP. Hitting back at Atishi, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused her of "bluffing" and asked the AAP to explain to the people why Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia "changed phones frequently". No immediate reaction was available from the ED. Atishi

Kejriwal's wife launches WhatsApp campaign to garner support for AAP leader

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita launched a WhatsApp campaign on Friday, urging people to support her husband, who is in the ED's custody in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. In a digital media briefing, Sunita Kejriwal said her husband has challenged the "most corrupt and dictatorial forces" in the country and asked people to support him through their blessings and prayers. Issuing a WhatsApp number -- 8297324624 -- she said people can send their blessings, prayers or any other messages for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and she will communicate those to him. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy for Delhi. A court on Thursday extended his ED custody till April 1.