News Analysis India

Tag: ED

  • ‘Better to reconcile with BJP before it’s too late’: Sena MLA under ED scanner writes to Uddhav

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who is under the Enforcement Directorate’s scanner for alleged money laundering, has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray appealing to him to reconcile with the BJP “before it is too late”.

    In the letter dated June 10, Sarnaik said even though the alliance with the BJP has broken, personal and harmonious relations between leaders of the ‘yuti’ (Shiv Sena-BJP) remain.

    “It is better to reconcile before it is too late,” the MLA said in the letter.

    Notably, the Sena forged an alliance with the NCP and Congress and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra in 2019 after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP.

    Shiv Sena MLA @PratapSarnaik writes CM Uddhav Thackeray asking patch up wid BJP once again. He said their families r unnecessary troubled by central probe agencies; once Sena BJP alliance govt is in Maharashtra, then they & their families will have major relief. @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/yBdnoHtxUW
    — Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) June 20, 2021

    In November last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided premises linked to Sarnaik in Maharashtra in connection with a money laundering case being probed against a security service provider company and others.

    ALSO READ | MVA alliance for 5 years, not permanent fixture: Congress

    The Shiv Sena had called the raids a “political vendetta” and said the Maharashtra government or its leaders will not surrender to pressure from anyone.

    Noting that municipal corporation polls are due soon in several Maharashtra cities, including Mumbai, Sarnaik in his letter to the CM said, “I believe fighting a war like Arjun, instead of sacrificing oneself like Abhimanyu or Karna. This is the reason that I have been fighting my legal battle for the last seven months alone without getting any help from our leaders or our government .”

    Sarnaik, who is an MLA from neighbouring Thane district, also alleged that the Congress and NCP were creating divisions in the Shiv Sena ranks.

    “It is better to join hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi again as Shiv Sainiks feel that would save the Sena leaders like me, Anil Parab and Ravindra Waikar from problems,” he said.

    Notably, former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya had accused the three Sena leaders of indulging in corrupt practices.

    Sarnaik, in his letter, did not name Somaiya, but said a leader “who has become a ‘former MP’ because of the Sena” is maligning the party.

    Sarnaik also claimed that Shiv Sena MLAs feel only the work of Congress and NCP legislators is being done and not of those from his party.

    “Shiv Sena MLAs wonder whether the MVA has been formed, by breaking the alliance with the BJP, to help the Congress and NCP grow,” he said.

    Sarnaik also said in the letter that while CM Thackeray was focusing only on COVID-19 eradication, the Congress was talking of going alone in next elections and the NCP was busy “breaking” Shiv Sena workers and inducting them into the Sharad Pawar-led party.

    Meanwhile, reacting to Sarnaik’s letter, Somaiya said the Sena MLA seems to be worried about jail now and so, he has asked CM Thackeray to join hands with PM Modi and the BJP.

    “All corrupt leaders of the Shiv Sena – Pratap Sarnaik, Anil Parab, Ravindra Waikar – will have to be in jail,” the BJP leader said in a statement.

    Somaiya also said he had lodged a complaint at a police station in Thane about Sarnaik “missing” for last 100 days. 

  • Mehul Choksi planned escape, concealed evidence as he knew about impending enquiries: CBI

    The CBI in its supplementary charge sheet has invoked Section 201 of the IPC among other charges which pertain to the destruction of evidence.

  • New variant found in Andhra Pradesh, 15 times more infectious

    Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has discovered a new variant of the virus in Andhra Pradesh known as ‘N440K’. It is too early to say that it is the one that is wreaking havoc in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the state. Experts say the new prevalent variant, which is also being called as the ‘AP variant’, is at least 15 times more virulent than the earlier ones. And may be even stronger than the previous Indian variants – B1.617 and B1.618.

    Divya Tej Sowpati, scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, said in a phone conversation, “The defining mutation is N440K, a mutation that was known since last year and widely prevalent in Andhra Pradesh. When tested in cell culture studies, they appeared to spread quite quickly but that’s not how it always plays out in the real world,”. Divya works closely with the genome sequencing of coronavirus  and said that the variant was closely related to the B.1.36 lineage of coronavirus. He also said that this variant has been previously linked to the spike in cases in Southern India.

    “N440K is slowly dying out and was fast being replaced by two other variants — B.1.1.7 and B.1.617 in almost all southern states including Kerala,” said Vinod Scaria, scientist at the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi.  Previously, N440K has been associated with cases of reinfection in the national capital and had possibly helped the virus bind tighter to lung cells. B.1.1.7 is the ‘UK Variant’ and B.1.617 is the ‘Indian variant’ which are also known as the ‘double mutant’ variants.

    District Collector of Vizag, V. Vinay Chand commented about the variant after being updated by the senior doctors in the health department. He said, “We are still to ascertain, which strain is in circulation right now, as samples have been sent to CCMB for analysis. But one thing is certain that the variant at present which is in circulation in Visakhapatnam is quite different from what we have seen during the first wave last year.”

    District COVID Special Officer and Principal of Andhra Medical College P.V. Sudhakar confirmed the enhanced power of the virus as he said, “We have observed that the new variant has shorter incubation period and the progress of the disease is much rapid. In the earlier cases, a patient affected with the virus would take at least a week to reach the hypoxia or dyspnea stage. But in the present context, patients are reaching the serious condition stage within three or four days. And that is why there is heavy pressure on beds with oxygen or ICU beds.”

    Experts also said that a shorter exposure to this variant is enough to acquire the virus unlike the first wave. It enables an infected person to infect four to five persons, within a shorter contact span.

    “Most essentially, none is spared, as we have observed that it is affecting the younger population in a big way, including those who are fitness freaks and have high immunity levels. It is also observed that cytokine storm is occurring faster, and some are responding to treatment and some are not,” said Dr. Sudhakar.

  • ED summons Mehbooba Mufti’s mother in money laundering case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the mother of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti for questioning in a money laundering case, officials said on Thursday.

    They said Gulshan Nazir, in her seventies, has been asked to appear before the central probe agency at its office in Srinagar on April 15.

    Mufti, 61, also the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was questioned in this case on March 25 in Srinagar.

    After her five-hour-long questioning that day, Mufti had told reporters that central agencies like the NIA, CBI and the ED were being “misused” to silence the opposition.

    A PDP spokesperson said the latest summons are “part of the political vendetta against Mehbooba Mufti and PDP”.

    “It is an attempt to stop her from giving voice to the sentiments of the people in which they have failed miserably.” Nazir is the wife of former J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

    The criminal case filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is linked to the recovery of at least two diaries by the ED, after raids on an alleged associate of Mufti, in which some purported payments made from the CM’s discretionary fund were made in alleged contravention of rules.

    These funds are alleged to have been diverted during the tenure of Mufti as the CM of the erstwhile state.

    Few lakh of rupees from these funds are alleged to have been transferred into the account of Nazir and some others about which the ED wants to question her.

    The J-K Police CID had recently rejected the passport applications of Nazir and Mufti following adverse police reports against the mother and the daughter.

  • Punjab govt clears decks for setting up ED to crackdown on illegal mining

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Decks have been cleared for the establishment of the Enforcement Directorate to check illegal mining in Punjab.

    The directorate will be headed by a senior police officer not below the rank of a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) at the state-level and would be assisted by three SP level officers in the Head Office. Each of the seven mining blocks (number may vary as per government policy) would be headed by an officer not below the rank of a DSP, with 21 Inspectors and Sub Inspectors at the district level (three per DSP) and 175 Head Constables and constables under them. This deployment may be altered from time to time, keeping in view the functional requirements of the ED. 

    The police personnel in ED will be provided salary, equipment and arms by the Police department. Any special equipment, if required, would be provided from District Mineral Foundation Funds. It will be set up in the Mining and Geology Wing of Water Resources department. It will also help in ramping up the state’s revenues by curbing the menace of illegal mining.

    In addition to the registration and investigation of mining-related cases by various District Police chiefs (CPS & SSPs) as at present, ED would also register and investigate cases in coordination with XENs, SDOs, Mining Officers, under the provisions of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, Orders of the Supreme Court of India and National Green Tribunal guidelines. It will present final reports (challans) thereof to the respective Courts.

    Investigation of every case would be completed in a time-bound manner.

    In this endeavour, districts of Mohali, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Bathinda would be given greater attention to ensure effective legitimate mining operations.

    The ED would help in checking and stopping unauthorised movement of minor minerals within the state and at the interstate borders of Punjab, in conjunction with the officials of the Mining department. It will also facilitate prosecution of those indulging in illegal mining under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. 

    Working closely with the Mining Wing of Water Resources department, the ED will also check that those involved in sand and gravel business do not overcharge on the sale price ceiling prescribed in the Mining Policy.

    Also in another decision, convicted prisoners in Punjab will now be eligible for remission from time to time, instead of just once under the amendment to the Remission Policy 2010, approved on Wednesday by the state cabinet.

    The cabinet gave the go-ahead to the amended Remission Policy 2021, which makes remission applicable for prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for more than 10 years, including prisoners sentenced for life instead of prisoners convicted for 10 to 20 years under the earlier policy.

    Further, the convicts would now be eligible for time to time remission also in cases of offences committed under Section 302 or 304 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, read with Sections 376, 376-A, 376-AB, 376-B, 376-C, 376-D, 376-DA, 376-DB, 376-E or 377 of the Indian Penal Code, instead of an offence committed under Section 302 or 304 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with only Sections 376 to 376-D or 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

    It may be recalled that on March 16, 2020, while considering premature release cases of life convicts, it came to the notice of the Committee constituted at the level of government for the purpose, that the Remission Policy-2010 had some ambiguities. The Committee also realised that the 2010 policy was silent on some provisions. Hence, it could not be clarified from the Remission Policy whether the remission announced by the Punjab Government was to be granted to the convicts every year or it can be granted only One Time during the sentence period. It was thus felt that the Remission Policy dated September 30, 2010 needed some clarification.

  • ED attaches Kolkata asset of TMC youth leader, brother in cattle-smuggling case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The ED on Thursday said it has attached an asset of TMC youth leader Vinay Mishra and his arrested brother Vikas Mishra in a money-laundering case linked to alleged cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

    The agency said a provisional order for the attachment of the immovable property located at 1, Dharamdas Row in Kolkata has been issued by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the property was “acquired by them (the Mishra brothers) in May, 2017 by way of shares purchase of a company called Anant Tradecom Private Limited”.

    “The shares of this company were acquired by the Mishra family by paying the consideration of Rs 3.5 crore to the earlier shareholders,” it said.

    Describing the link of the brothers with the cattle-smuggling case, the agency alleged that “between October, 2016-March 2017, Vinay Mishra and Vikas Mishra received funds amounting to Rs 6.1 crore from cattle smuggler Md Enamul Haque”.

    “For purchasing the shares of Anant Tradecom Private Limited, funds were layered by way of accommodation entries from two Kolkata-based shell companies and by way of cash deposits in the accounts of the members of the Mishra family,” the ED alleged.

    The property that has been attached was acquired by the Mishra brothers by “laundering” the proceeds of crime, it claimed.

    The two are being probed both by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in this case and Haque was arrested by the CBI in November last year.

    In a chargesheet filed before a special court in West Bengal’s Asansol, the CBI had alleged that Haque was the mastermind of the illegal cattle trade and was assisted by two other accused in alleged connivance with Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant Satish Kumar, who was posted at the Murshidabad and Malda regions of the state.

    Some others have also been named in the CBI chargesheet in connection with cattle smuggling that is rampant along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

    Vinay Mishra, who has not joined the probe in the case by the two agencies till now, has been named as an accused by the CBI in a supplementary chargesheet filed recently.

    The role of the brothers is also being investigated by the two central agencies in an illegal coal mining and pilferage case.

    Vikas Mishra was recently arrested by the ED here in the latter case.

    The agency has claimed that the brothers received “proceeds of crime worth Rs 730 crore on behalf of some influential persons and for themselves” in the alleged illegal coal-mining case involving an estimated amount of Rs 1,300 crore.

    These actions come as the eight-phase election to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly is set to begin on March 27.

  • ED summoning Mehbooba part of Centre’s ‘vindictive’ politics: PDP

    The 60-year-old PDP leader, who was released last year after more than a year in detention following the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir #39;s special status, has been served notice to appear at the ED HQ

  • ED summons Mehbooba Mufti for questioning in money laundering case on March 15

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday summoned former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti for questioning on March 15 in a money laundering case, officials said.

    The 60-year-old PDP leader, who was released last year after more than a year in detention following the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, has been served notice to appear at the ED headquarters in the national capital.

    After the ED summons, Mehbooba said the Centre’s “tactics to intimidate and browbeat political opponents” won’t work.

    “GOI’s tactics to intimidate & browbeat political opponents to make them toe their line has become tediously predictable. They don’t want us to raise questions about its punitive actions & policies. Such short-sighted scheming won’t work,” she wrote on Twitter, without any mention of the ED notice.

    GOIs tactics to intimidate & browbeat political opponents to make them toe their line has become tediously predictable.They don’t want us to raise questions about its punitive actions & policies. Such short sighted scheming wont work .
    — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 5, 2021

    According to officials, the case has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    Agency sources did not specify the case in which she has been summoned but indicated that it could be linked to alleged financial irregularities in loans taken in the past from Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

    The agency had searched the premises of Anjum Fazili, a close side of the PDP leader, in December last year and had seized over Rs 28 lakh in cash.

    The raids were carried out at Fazili’s premises in Srinagar and Delhi in connection with a money laundering case.

    Criticising the ED summons to Mehbooba, People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chairperson Farooq Abdullah said “political vendetta” would not help in improving the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

    The Centre should “put an end to this kind of vendetta” and allow democratic processes to continue smoothly, said Abdullah, also a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

    “Political vendetta will not help in improving the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” the National Conference chief added.

    The PAGD is an alliance of various mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    These parties have come together to work towards restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s special status that was revoked by the Centre in August 2019.

  • CCTVs in offices of probe agencies: SC expresses displeasure, says Centre dragging its feet

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday expressed displeasure over the Centre for “dragging its feet” by seeking more time on the issue pertaining to installation of CCTV cameras in the offices of investigating agencies including CBI, ED and NIA.

    A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman, which observed that this issue concerns the rights of citizens, said it is not accepting the excuses given in the letter filed by the Centre seeking adjournment in the matter.

    “We are getting a distinct impression that you are dragging your feet,” the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Hrishikesh Roy, told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was representing the Centre.

    The apex court had on December 2 last year directed the Centre to install CCTV cameras and recording equipment at the offices of investigating agencies — the Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, Narcotics Control Bureau, Department of Revenue Intelligence, Serious Fraud Investigation Office and any other agency which carries out interrogations and has the power of arrest.

    During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing on Tuesday, Mehta told the bench that adjournment has been sought as the matter may have ramifications.

    “This concerns the rights of citizens,” the bench said, adding, “We are not accepting the excuses”.

    “We are not concerned about the ramifications,” the bench said.

    The top court asked Mehta about the allocation of funds for installation of CCTVs in the offices of these investigating agencies.

    Mehta sought some time from the bench to file an affidavit in the matter.

    The apex court granted three week time to the Centre to file an affidavit on the issue, including on the aspect of allocation of funds and the timeline for installation of CCTV cameras.

    The bench also examined the report placed before it by senior advocate Siddharth Dave, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae in the matter, on the timeline of different states to comply with the court’s direction.

    In its last year order, the apex court had said that states and Union Territories (UTs) should ensure that CCTV cameras are installed at each and every police station, at all entry and exit points, main gate, lock-ups, corridors, lobby and reception as also areas outside the lock-up rooms so that no part is left uncovered.

    The top court had earlier ordered installation of CCTV cameras in police stations to check human rights abuses.

    It had said that it had impleaded all the states and UTs in the matter to find out the exact position of CCTV cameras in each police station as well as constitution of Oversight Committees in accordance with the April 3, 2018 order.

    The apex court, while dealing with a matter related to custodial torture, had in July last year taken note of a 2017 case in which it had ordered installation of CCTV cameras in all the police stations to check human rights abuses, videography of crime scene and setting up of a Central Oversight Committee and such a panel in every states and UT.

    It had said that authorities would implement its order “both in letter and in spirit as soon as possible.”

    The bench had said in its December last year order that affidavits be filed within six weeks by principal secretary or cabinet secretary or home secretary of each states and UTs giving a firm action plan with exact timeline for compliance with the order.

  • ED attaches assets worth over Rs 280 Crore in Manesar land PMLA case 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The ED has attached assets worth over Rs 280 crore in connection with a money-laundering case related to “illegal” acquisition of land in Haryana’s Manesar between 2004 and 2007 with the alleged connivance of senior government functionaries and bureaucrats.

    The central probe agency said it has issued a provisional order for the attachment of the properties, registered in the name of various accused in the case, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The role of Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in this instance is under the scanner of the agency.

    The attached assets include a 54-per cent portion of a project in the name of Dove Infrastructure Private Limited of Atul Bansal and his group companies at Faridabad worth Rs 108.86 crore.

    A 50-per cent portion in the “Business Bay Project” in the name of Seriatim Land and Housing Private Limited of Bansal and his group companies worth Rs 78.09 crore, flats and fixed deposit receipts of Anglique International Limited worth Rs 3.39 crore and Rs 25.53 crore of refund from the HSIIDC sanctioned to Guru Nanak Infrastructures Developers Private Limited have also been attached.

    Also, 13.77 acres and 5.65 acres of land valued at Rs 29.48 crore of the Frontier Home Developers Private Limited, 20 flats worth Rs 22.72 crore of the same company and 95.09 bighas of agricultural land at Behror and Neemrana in Rajasthan worth Rs 13.31 crore of Lalit Modi have also been attached, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in a statement.

    The agency had filed a fresh chargesheet last year against Atul Bansal of the ABW Infrastructure Limited, the company ABW Infrastructure Limited (ABWIL), Bansal’s wife Sona Bansal, Mahamaya Exports Private Limited, Shashikant Chaurasia, Dilip Lalwani, Varinder Uppal, Vijay Uppal, Viney Uppal, Ravinder Taneja, TDI Infrastructure Limited, Wisdom Realtors Private Limited and AB Rephcons Infrastructure Private Limited.

    A total of three — one primary and two supplementary — chargesheets have so far been filed by the ED in the case against a total of 30 accused and a special PMLA court in Panchkula has taken cognisance of these prosecution complaints.

    The ED case was filed after studying a 2015 FIR lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the accused.

    “It was alleged in the FIR that the government of Haryana had issued a notification under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 on August 27, 2004 and a notification under section 6 of the said Act on August 25, 2005 for the acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an industrial model township in villages Ike Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurugram district.

    “A large number of land owners, in distress, had to sell about 400 acres of their land at throwaway prices to private builders, who caused a wrongful loss to the land owners of these villages,” the ED said.

      The agency’s probe found that the land was later freed from compulsory acquisition by the state government as a result of a “conspiracy” by politicians, bureaucrats and private builders, causing a huge loss to the land owners and the state exchequer.

    “Most of the land were purchased by the ABWIL Group controlled by Atul Bansal and after obtaining licences, ABWIL had sold the licensed/un-licensed land and licences to the other private persons/developers, thus making profit worth crores.

    “ED investigation revealed that the above properties worth Rs 281.42 crore are proceeds of crime under the PMLA,” the agency said.