
ED can't act like 'crook', must work within four corners of law: Supreme Court

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
14 hours ago
- News18
Robert Vadra Received Rs 58 Cr Proceeds Of Crime In Tainted Gurugram Land Deal, ED Tells Court
A special PMLA court has issued a notice to Vadra, scheduling a hearing on August 28 to determine whether to take cognisance of the complaint The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a detailed chargesheet against Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, accusing him of receiving Rs 58 crore as proceeds from a corrupt land deal in Gurugram. The ED informed a special court that Vadra's company, Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, was pivotal to the alleged money laundering operation. According to the ED's chargesheet filed on July 17, Vadra's company acquired a 3.5-acre plot in Gurugram's Shikohpur village as a bribe, contradicting his earlier assertion that he purchased the land for Rs 7.5 crore. The investigation revealed that the cheque intended for the payment was never cashed, and the sale deed was based on false information. The ED alleges that Omkareshwar Properties Pvt Ltd transferred the land to Vadra's company without any payment in exchange for his supposed influence with then-Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to obtain a housing license. The chargesheet elaborates how the land, obtained as a bribe, was later sold to real estate giant DLF for Rs 58 crore. The ED claims that Rs 53 crore of this amount was channelled through Skylight Hospitality, with an additional Rs 5 crore routed through another company, Blue Breeze Trading. The agency states these funds were then used by Vadra to purchase other immovable properties and make investments. In total, the ED has provisionally attached 43 properties worth over Rs 38 crore, identifying them as either direct or value-equivalent proceeds of the crime. A special PMLA court has issued a notice to Vadra, scheduling a hearing on August 28 to determine whether to take cognisance of the complaint. Vadra has consistently denied all allegations, calling them a 'political witch-hunt". This chargesheet, being the first one filed against him in a criminal case, signifies a major development in the investigation. view comments First Published: August 10, 2025, 05:02 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Panchkula: ₹225-crore HSVP embezzlement case: ED files chargesheet against 2 former HSVP officials, 3 others
The enforcement directorate (ED) has filed its chargesheet before a special court in Panchkula under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against two former officials of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), and three other unidentified accused in a case of public fund misappropriation amounting to ₹225.51 crore from HSVP bank accounts between a period of 2015–2019. The ED had already attached properties amounting to ₹ 27.30 crore by issuing four provisional attachment orders. (HT File) The two accused and former HSVP officials have been identified as Sunil Kumar Bansal and Ram Niwas. During the period of 2019–2024, Ram Niwas was also an MLA from Haryana. During its investigation, the ED arrested Bansal and Niwas on June 9, 2025, and are currently in judicial custody. The ED had already attached properties amounting to ₹27.30 crore by issuing four provisional attachment orders (PAOs). The investigation under PMLA revealed the existence of 10 additional bank accounts associated with HSVP where similar fraudulent transactions were carried out using the same modus operandi. The ED thus unearthed an overall embezzlement of public funds to the tune of ₹225.51 crore, which are now being considered as 'proceeds of crime' in this case. The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the drawing and disbursing officer (DDO) of HSVP against unknown persons at the Sector-7 police station. The DDO had reported that a fraud and financial loss had been committed through an HSVP bank account maintained with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Chandigarh. During an internal inquiry, the HSVP found that no such bank account was reflected in its cash branch or IT wing, meaning that the authority had been defrauded by Bansal and Niwas in a clandestine manner. As per the FIR, during the period of 2015–2019, debit transactions amounting to approximately ₹70 crore were repeatedly released from the said HSVP bank account in favour of some particular parties for no apparent reason, causing a loss of ₹70 crore to the HSVP.


Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Indian Express
Chandigarh: Absconding GBP officials declared proclaimed offenders
The special court of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Chandigarh, has declared absconding officials of real estate firm Gupta Builders and Promoters (GBP) as proclaimed offenders. The company and its management are accused of duping investors of more than Rs 1,000 crore across the Tricity and several other cities in India before fleeing abroad around four years ago. According to court records, the accused had repeatedly failed to appear despite multiple arrest warrants being issued against them. Given their continued absence, the court declared them proclaimed offenders. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been investigating the matter under the PMLA and has already attached properties worth around Rs 148 crore belonging to the group and its directors. The seized assets include commercial projects at Zirakpur, residential properties, and agricultural land. Those declared PO by the court include GBP group officials Satish Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Raman Gupta, Vinod Gupta and Anupam Gupta. Despite repeated summons, the accused never appeared before the court, leading to the issuance of non-bailable warrants. The GBP Group also faces numerous cases before the Consumer Commission, several complaints with the Chandigarh Police, and multiple cheque bounce cases — in which they too have failed to appear, prompting more warrants. As per reports, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) had also filed a complaint against GBP Group in the district court in November 2021 for failing to comply with its orders. When the accused failed to appear, the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court declared them fugitives in October 2022. The accused are also on the run in a case filed by the Income Tax Department.