News Analysis India

Tag: Enforcement Directorate

  • ‘PM has resorted to tactics of FDI – fear, deception, intimidation’: Congress on Rajasthan ED raids

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Slamming the Centre over the ED’s action against its leaders in poll-bound Rajasthan, the Congress on Thursday alleged that faced with the prospect of “certain defeat”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resorted to tactics of “FDI – fear, deception and intimidation.”

    The party said people would give a befitting reply to the BJP for resorting to such tactics.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and party candidate from the Mahua assembly seat as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged exam paper leak case in the state, official sources said.

    It also summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case.

    Several Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, spoke out on the matter.

    Kharge alleged that agencies such as the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department become the real ‘panna pramukh’ (party workers) of the BJP as soon as elections come.

    “Seeing its certain defeat in Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party made its last throw of the dice! After Chhattisgarh, the ED has also entered the election campaign in Rajasthan and started action against Congress leaders,” Kharge said.

    “The dictatorship of the Modi government is fatal for democracy. We will continue to fight against the misuse of agencies, and the public will give a befitting reply to the BJP,” the Congress chief said in a post on X.

    Ashok Gehlot said that the Congress launched “guarantees” (poll promises) for women of Rajasthan on Wednesday and the ED’s action against Dotasra and Vaibhav Gehlot came just a day later.

    “Now you can understand what I have been saying…ED’s raids happen every day in Rajasthan because the BJP does not want women, farmers and poor in the state to get the benefit of the guarantees given by Congress,” Gehlot said in a post in Hindi on X.

    Elections for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 25 and results be declared on December 3.

    In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the prime minister has been taken aback by the popularity of the schemes of the Congress government in Rajasthan over the last five years. “Faced with the prospect of certain defeat, the Prime Minister has resorted to his usual FDI tactics – Fear, Deception and Intimidation, and has unleashed the ED on Congress leaders in the state,” he said.

    “This sort of vendetta politics and the politics of polarisation is all that the BJP stands for today. The people of Rajasthan will give a befitting reply to the Prime Minister and his party in the forthcoming elections,” Ramesh said.

    Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot alleged that the ED’s action against Congress leaders was “politically motivated” and an indication that the BJP is trailing in all five poll-bound states.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Pilot said, “Elections are set to take place in Rajasthan in a few days from now and the Model Code of Conduct is in place but the timing, intent and objective of the government of India agencies’ action in various places in Rajasthan is suspicious.”

    The Congress is against corruption and in favour of action being taken if there is an impartial inquiry and any evidence is found, but the government is specifically targeting leaders without any facts seeing an “imminent defeat” of the BJP in the upcoming polls in Rajasthan, Pilot said.

    “This is to give a message that if the BJP becomes weaker politically it will misuse various agencies and intimidate people. The Congress opposes this…The BJP is trailing in all five states and today’s action is a clear indication of that,” he said.

    Slamming the ED’s action, Ashok Gehlot at a press conference in Jaipur said the BJP is unleashing “terror” in the country.

    He also said the ED swung into action after he announced two poll promises on Wednesday for women of the state. He said that five more promises were also going to be declared on Friday and dared the ED to find five more Congress leaders to take action. The chief minister also likened the ED action to a locust attack and said the ED raids would destroy BJP’s crops.

    Ashok Gehlot claimed that ED’s raids happen wherever elections are held.

    Be it Chhattisgarh, Karnataka or Himachal Pradesh, ED’s raids happened just before elections, the chief minister said. “Raids happened but the Congress won the elections. The situation is worrisome. They have unleashed terror in the country,” Gehlot said at the presser.

    Asserting that the Congress “will not be scared no matter how hard they try”, he alleged the BJP was targeting him through ED raids as they could not topple his government.

    “We will win the elections,” the chief minister asserted.

    Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also lashed out at the Union government over the ED’s action.

    “Just last week, Ashok Gehlot ji held a press conference in Delhi and raised questions on the role of central agencies in the elections. Today again, ED has become very active in Rajasthan. Modi ji, contest elections directly, stop taking the help of agencies,” Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.

    Ashok Gehlot last week alleged that the BJP-led Centre is misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders even after the enforcement of the model code of conduct, and urged PM Modi and the Election Commission to intervene. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    NEW DELHI: Slamming the Centre over the ED’s action against its leaders in poll-bound Rajasthan, the Congress on Thursday alleged that faced with the prospect of “certain defeat”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resorted to tactics of “FDI – fear, deception and intimidation.”

    The party said people would give a befitting reply to the BJP for resorting to such tactics.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and party candidate from the Mahua assembly seat as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged exam paper leak case in the state, official sources said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    It also summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case.

    Several Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, spoke out on the matter.

    Kharge alleged that agencies such as the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department become the real ‘panna pramukh’ (party workers) of the BJP as soon as elections come.

    “Seeing its certain defeat in Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party made its last throw of the dice! After Chhattisgarh, the ED has also entered the election campaign in Rajasthan and started action against Congress leaders,” Kharge said.

    “The dictatorship of the Modi government is fatal for democracy. We will continue to fight against the misuse of agencies, and the public will give a befitting reply to the BJP,” the Congress chief said in a post on X.

    Ashok Gehlot said that the Congress launched “guarantees” (poll promises) for women of Rajasthan on Wednesday and the ED’s action against Dotasra and Vaibhav Gehlot came just a day later.

    “Now you can understand what I have been saying…ED’s raids happen every day in Rajasthan because the BJP does not want women, farmers and poor in the state to get the benefit of the guarantees given by Congress,” Gehlot said in a post in Hindi on X.

    Elections for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will be held on November 25 and results be declared on December 3.

    In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that the prime minister has been taken aback by the popularity of the schemes of the Congress government in Rajasthan over the last five years. “Faced with the prospect of certain defeat, the Prime Minister has resorted to his usual FDI tactics – Fear, Deception and Intimidation, and has unleashed the ED on Congress leaders in the state,” he said.

    “This sort of vendetta politics and the politics of polarisation is all that the BJP stands for today. The people of Rajasthan will give a befitting reply to the Prime Minister and his party in the forthcoming elections,” Ramesh said.

    Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot alleged that the ED’s action against Congress leaders was “politically motivated” and an indication that the BJP is trailing in all five poll-bound states.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Pilot said, “Elections are set to take place in Rajasthan in a few days from now and the Model Code of Conduct is in place but the timing, intent and objective of the government of India agencies’ action in various places in Rajasthan is suspicious.”

    The Congress is against corruption and in favour of action being taken if there is an impartial inquiry and any evidence is found, but the government is specifically targeting leaders without any facts seeing an “imminent defeat” of the BJP in the upcoming polls in Rajasthan, Pilot said.

    “This is to give a message that if the BJP becomes weaker politically it will misuse various agencies and intimidate people. The Congress opposes this…The BJP is trailing in all five states and today’s action is a clear indication of that,” he said.

    Slamming the ED’s action, Ashok Gehlot at a press conference in Jaipur said the BJP is unleashing “terror” in the country.

    He also said the ED swung into action after he announced two poll promises on Wednesday for women of the state. He said that five more promises were also going to be declared on Friday and dared the ED to find five more Congress leaders to take action. The chief minister also likened the ED action to a locust attack and said the ED raids would destroy BJP’s crops.

    Ashok Gehlot claimed that ED’s raids happen wherever elections are held.

    Be it Chhattisgarh, Karnataka or Himachal Pradesh, ED’s raids happened just before elections, the chief minister said. “Raids happened but the Congress won the elections. The situation is worrisome. They have unleashed terror in the country,” Gehlot said at the presser.

    Asserting that the Congress “will not be scared no matter how hard they try”, he alleged the BJP was targeting him through ED raids as they could not topple his government.

    “We will win the elections,” the chief minister asserted.

    Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also lashed out at the Union government over the ED’s action.

    “Just last week, Ashok Gehlot ji held a press conference in Delhi and raised questions on the role of central agencies in the elections. Today again, ED has become very active in Rajasthan. Modi ji, contest elections directly, stop taking the help of agencies,” Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.

    Ashok Gehlot last week alleged that the BJP-led Centre is misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders even after the enforcement of the model code of conduct, and urged PM Modi and the Election Commission to intervene. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • West Bengal teacher recruitment scam: Enforcement Directorate questions Abhishek’s wife

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitments in state-aided schools.

    It was the first time that the ED asked Rujira to appear for questioning in the teachers’ recruitment scam case. Earlier, she was interrogated in connection with money laundering related to coal pilferage.

    The ruling party of West Bengal described the central agency’s move as political harassment by the BJP due to vendetta.

    Rujira arrived at the ED’s office at around 10:45 a.m. After a marathon interrogation, she left the investigating agency’s Salt Lake office at around 4.20 p.m.

    The ED is investigating the possible involvement of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, a company that has Abhishek as its CEO and Rujira as a former director, in the state’s primary school teacher recruitment scam.

    “We asked her to explain in detail about her knowledge about Leaps and Bounds and why she quit as the director of the company,” said an ED officer.

    Abhishek Banerjee, who was questioned by the ED for nearly nine hours in the teacher recruitment scam on September 13, had then claimed that the interrogation was an attempt to prevent him from participating in the opposition INDIA bloc’s meet and was a testament to the pivotal role the Trinamool Congress plays in forging opposition unity.

    The recruitment scam landed former education minister Partha Chatterjee and several TMC functionaries and officials of the state education department behind bars. Both the ED and the CBI are probing into the alleged irregularities following an order passed by the Calcutta High Court.

    In another development on Wednesday, the CBI pleaded to interrogate Chatterjee, who was produced before the court, in the jail saying it came across more evidence. While leaving the court, Chatterjee claimed his innocence in the recruitment scam.

    ALSO READ | ED issues fresh summons to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in Bengal school recruitment scam

    TMC minister Shashi Panja lambasted the BJP for using the central agencies politically.

    “Summoning Rujira by the ED is nothing other than political harassment. It is BJP’s political vendetta. The saffron camp failed to combat our party politically through elections and is now using the ED and the CBI to meet its political purpose. The people of Bengal realised it and they will give a befitting reply in the coming elections in Bengal,” she alleged.

    ALSO READ | Will defy ED summons, says Abhishek Banerjee even as HC removes officer in charge of probe into recruitment scam Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Rujira Narula Banerjee, wife of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, on Wednesday in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitments in state-aided schools.

    It was the first time that the ED asked Rujira to appear for questioning in the teachers’ recruitment scam case. Earlier, she was interrogated in connection with money laundering related to coal pilferage.

    The ruling party of West Bengal described the central agency’s move as political harassment by the BJP due to vendetta.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Rujira arrived at the ED’s office at around 10:45 a.m. After a marathon interrogation, she left the investigating agency’s Salt Lake office at around 4.20 p.m.

    The ED is investigating the possible involvement of Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, a company that has Abhishek as its CEO and Rujira as a former director, in the state’s primary school teacher recruitment scam.

    “We asked her to explain in detail about her knowledge about Leaps and Bounds and why she quit as the director of the company,” said an ED officer.

    Abhishek Banerjee, who was questioned by the ED for nearly nine hours in the teacher recruitment scam on September 13, had then claimed that the interrogation was an attempt to prevent him from participating in the opposition INDIA bloc’s meet and was a testament to the pivotal role the Trinamool Congress plays in forging opposition unity.

    The recruitment scam landed former education minister Partha Chatterjee and several TMC functionaries and officials of the state education department behind bars. Both the ED and the CBI are probing into the alleged irregularities following an order passed by the Calcutta High Court.

    In another development on Wednesday, the CBI pleaded to interrogate Chatterjee, who was produced before the court, in the jail saying it came across more evidence. While leaving the court, Chatterjee claimed his innocence in the recruitment scam.

    ALSO READ | ED issues fresh summons to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee in Bengal school recruitment scam

    TMC minister Shashi Panja lambasted the BJP for using the central agencies politically.

    “Summoning Rujira by the ED is nothing other than political harassment. It is BJP’s political vendetta. The saffron camp failed to combat our party politically through elections and is now using the ED and the CBI to meet its political purpose. The people of Bengal realised it and they will give a befitting reply in the coming elections in Bengal,” she alleged.

    ALSO READ | Will defy ED summons, says Abhishek Banerjee even as HC removes officer in charge of probe into recruitment scam Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • ED targeting Sanjay Singh for raising Adani matter in Parliament: AAP 

    Singh kept on raising questions on the issue of Adani and this is why the raids are being conducted at his residence, AAP spokesperson said. NEW DELHI: The AAP on Wednesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has ‘targeted’ their Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh as he raised issues related to the Adani Group in Parliament.

    The party was reacting to the ED raids on the premises of Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, officials said.

    “Sanjay Singh kept on raising questions on the issue of Adani and this is why the raids are being conducted at his residence. The central agencies found nothing earlier and won’t find anything today either.

    #WATCH | Delhi: On ED raids at the residence of AAP MP Sanjay Singh, National Spokesperson AAP Reena Gupta says “Since Sanjay Singh was continuously raising questions on the issue of PM Modi and Adani, this is the reason why raids are being conducted at his residence. Nothing was… pic.twitter.com/7USX2JhIhW
    — ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2023

    First, they conducted raids at the residence of some journalists yesterday and today, raids were conducted at Sanjay Singh’s residence,” AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta said.

    Sanjay Singh’s father Dinesh Singh said they are cooperating with the ED.

    The ED is doing its job. I don’t know the exact time but around 7:30 am they came to conduct raids. I told ED officials they could conduct raids until late at night, we don’t want them to visit again and again,” he said

    It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

    The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

    Singh had demanded a probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. US-based firm Hindenburg Research had alleged that the Adani Group had engaged in brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud. The Adani Group has denied all allegations.

  • ED summons Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in alleged land scam case

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday sent summon to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in an alleged land scam. According to the ED sources, Soren has been asked to appear for questioning at its zonal office in Ranchi on August 14.

    In November 2022, Soren was grilled by ED for about 10 hours in connection with an illegal mining case.

    The federal agency has been probing two major cases of money laundering in the state. The first case is related to illegal mining in the state and the second is related to alleged land scams in the state capital.

    At least 13 persons, including Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Chhavi Ranjan and two businessmen- Amit Agrawal of Kolkata and Bishnu Agrawal-, who owns shopping malls in Ranchi, have already been arrested in connection with the land scam.

    Bishnu Agrawal has been arrested based on the FIR registered with Sadar police station for the fraudulent sale of a one-acre plot in upscale Cheshire Home Road in Ranchi. Besides the Cheshire Home Road property and 9.3-acre plot at Namkum, Agrawal, in connivance with DC Chhavi Ranjan and others, also bought a 5.83-acre plot at Bariatu in Ranchi, which is in possession of the Indian Defence establishment since 1949.

    Investigation revealed that a racket of land mafia is active in Jharkhand which used to forge the legacy records in Kolkata and Ranchi.

    Earlier, ED carried out 41 searches and 5 surveys in this matter during which, several incriminating pieces of evidence like forged seals of the land revenue department, forged land deeds, records of distribution of proceeds of crime among them, photographs doing forgery, evidence of giving bribe to Government officials etc, were seized.

    Meanwhile, state BJP Chief Babulal Marandi has termed Soren as the most corrupt Chief Minister in independent India, who has been summoned twice by the ED.

    RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday sent summon to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in an alleged land scam. According to the ED sources, Soren has been asked to appear for questioning at its zonal office in Ranchi on August 14.

    In November 2022, Soren was grilled by ED for about 10 hours in connection with an illegal mining case.

    The federal agency has been probing two major cases of money laundering in the state. The first case is related to illegal mining in the state and the second is related to alleged land scams in the state capital.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    At least 13 persons, including Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Chhavi Ranjan and two businessmen- Amit Agrawal of Kolkata and Bishnu Agrawal-, who owns shopping malls in Ranchi, have already been arrested in connection with the land scam.

    Bishnu Agrawal has been arrested based on the FIR registered with Sadar police station for the fraudulent sale of a one-acre plot in upscale Cheshire Home Road in Ranchi. Besides the Cheshire Home Road property and 9.3-acre plot at Namkum, Agrawal, in connivance with DC Chhavi Ranjan and others, also bought a 5.83-acre plot at Bariatu in Ranchi, which is in possession of the Indian Defence establishment since 1949.

    Investigation revealed that a racket of land mafia is active in Jharkhand which used to forge the legacy records in Kolkata and Ranchi.

    Earlier, ED carried out 41 searches and 5 surveys in this matter during which, several incriminating pieces of evidence like forged seals of the land revenue department, forged land deeds, records of distribution of proceeds of crime among them, photographs doing forgery, evidence of giving bribe to Government officials etc, were seized.

    Meanwhile, state BJP Chief Babulal Marandi has termed Soren as the most corrupt Chief Minister in independent India, who has been summoned twice by the ED.

  • ‘Ulterior political motives’: Opposition slams govt over extension to ED Director Sanjay Mishra

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The opposition slammed the BJP-led Centre on Friday over the extension of the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra till September 15, alleging that this was done with ‘ulterior political motives’ and was aimed at targeting the leaders of the INDIA bloc with ‘false case’ to weaken the alliance.

    The Supreme Court on Thursday extended Mishra’s tenure till the midnight of September 15 in larger ‘public and national interest’, after the Centre asserted that his continuity is necessary in view of the ongoing FATF peer review and attempts by India’s neighbours to ensure that the country gets into the ‘grey’ list.

    The top court, which initially made a sharp observation and asked “Are we not giving a picture that there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people”, subsequently relented and accepted the Centre’s request for extending Mishra’s tenure, but for a month less than what was sought.

    Addressing a joint press conference outside Parliament, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha alleged that Mishra was given the extension despite illegality.

    “It has been done for ulterior political motives. There is talk in the corridors of power that there will be an attempt to break the INDIA alliance by resorting to lies. We know about this and we want to tell this to the government,” he said.

    Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said the Supreme Court asking “whether there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people” was telling.

    “There is an attempt to oblige one person and there is a conspiracy to trap opposition leaders in false cases,” he alleged.

    The Congress’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, also referred to the apex court’s observation and wondered why Mishra was given an extension for only a month and a half and what would happen in this period.

    “They (BJP) did everything to destabilise governments in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, but failed politically. Now, they are using agencies and want to slap false cases on opposition leaders. INDIA has come to the fore and is saying BJP gaddi choro (quit power),” he said.

    Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Sushmita Dev alleged that the ED is a ‘weapon that works for the BJP’.

    “The Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand governments were targeted using agencies. They wanted to destabilise these governments and weaken the INDIA alliance,” she said.

    Twenty-six opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

    On July 11, the top court held that two back-to-back year-long extensions granted to Mishra were ‘illegal’ and said the Centre’s orders were in ‘breach’ of its mandamus (judicial writ) in a 2021 verdict that the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer should not be given a further term.

    It had also curtailed Mishra’s extended tenure to July 31 from November 18, 2023, when he was supposed to retire.

    Mishra was first appointed as the ED director for two years on November 19, 2018. By an order dated November 13, 2020, the Centre modified the appointment letter retrospectively and Mishra’s two-year term was changed to three years.

    The Centre also promulgated an ordinance last year under which the tenure of the ED and CBI chiefs could be extended by up to three years after the mandated two-year term.

    NEW DELHI: The opposition slammed the BJP-led Centre on Friday over the extension of the tenure of Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra till September 15, alleging that this was done with ‘ulterior political motives’ and was aimed at targeting the leaders of the INDIA bloc with ‘false case’ to weaken the alliance.

    The Supreme Court on Thursday extended Mishra’s tenure till the midnight of September 15 in larger ‘public and national interest’, after the Centre asserted that his continuity is necessary in view of the ongoing FATF peer review and attempts by India’s neighbours to ensure that the country gets into the ‘grey’ list.

    The top court, which initially made a sharp observation and asked “Are we not giving a picture that there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people”, subsequently relented and accepted the Centre’s request for extending Mishra’s tenure, but for a month less than what was sought.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Addressing a joint press conference outside Parliament, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha alleged that Mishra was given the extension despite illegality.

    “It has been done for ulterior political motives. There is talk in the corridors of power that there will be an attempt to break the INDIA alliance by resorting to lies. We know about this and we want to tell this to the government,” he said.

    Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said the Supreme Court asking “whether there is no other person and the entire department is full of incompetent people” was telling.

    “There is an attempt to oblige one person and there is a conspiracy to trap opposition leaders in false cases,” he alleged.

    The Congress’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, also referred to the apex court’s observation and wondered why Mishra was given an extension for only a month and a half and what would happen in this period.

    “They (BJP) did everything to destabilise governments in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, but failed politically. Now, they are using agencies and want to slap false cases on opposition leaders. INDIA has come to the fore and is saying BJP gaddi choro (quit power),” he said.

    Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Sushmita Dev alleged that the ED is a ‘weapon that works for the BJP’.

    “The Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand governments were targeted using agencies. They wanted to destabilise these governments and weaken the INDIA alliance,” she said.

    Twenty-six opposition parties have formed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

    On July 11, the top court held that two back-to-back year-long extensions granted to Mishra were ‘illegal’ and said the Centre’s orders were in ‘breach’ of its mandamus (judicial writ) in a 2021 verdict that the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer should not be given a further term.

    It had also curtailed Mishra’s extended tenure to July 31 from November 18, 2023, when he was supposed to retire.

    Mishra was first appointed as the ED director for two years on November 19, 2018. By an order dated November 13, 2020, the Centre modified the appointment letter retrospectively and Mishra’s two-year term was changed to three years.

    The Centre also promulgated an ordinance last year under which the tenure of the ED and CBI chiefs could be extended by up to three years after the mandated two-year term.

  • Ponmudy’s ordeal continues, summoned by ED at 4pm

    By Express News Service

    CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy’s ordeal with Enforcement Directorate is likely to continue on Tuesday after the 72-year-old MLA from Tirukkoyilur assembly was probed by the central agency for nearly 20 hours — 13 hours at his home and seven hours at the ED office in Nungambakkam. He has been summoned by Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday evening at 4 pm.

    After almost an overnight enquiry by the ED officials, both Ponmudi and his son Gautham Sigamani, an MP from Kallakurichi, were allowed to go home at about 3.30 am on Tuesday morning. They have been asked to appear before the ED officials at 4 pm on Tuesday again for further enquiry, DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said.

    “What’s the logic in inquiring into a case 13 years after it was registered? This is nothing but a political vendetta by the BJP government because Ponmudi took on Governor R N Ravi on the new education policy, the appointment of vice-chancellors and other key issues,” Saravanan added.

    ALSO READ | Disproportionate assets: Ponmudy, wife walk free

    After the searches, which continued at his home in Saidapet at around 7 pm, the minister was taken to Enforcement Directorate to record his statement at 8 pm on Monday in his imported car along with CRPF policemen.

    While there have been allegations that the Enforcement Directorate has seized fixed deposit receipts of Rs 41.9 crore, around Rs 70 lakh cash and some foreign currency, from the linked premises of the minister, there has been no confirmation from Enforcement Directorate. ‘No unaccounted cash or any incriminating documents were seized from the Minister as being claimed,’ Saravanan told reporters

    The case pertains to allegations that Ponmudy violated quarry licenses during his tenure as a minister in the DMK government between 2006 and 2011. The case was filed by the AIADMK government led by Jayalalithaa soon after it came to power in 2011. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch had been investigating the case. 

    The minister is accused of obtaining mining/ quarry licences for his son and other family members, and the licensees are alleged to have quarried red sand beyond the permissible limit. the enforcement Directorate had called off searches of Ponmudy’s home in Villupuram on Monday night.

    The searches are happening after Madras High Court last month refused to stay proceedings in the case while dismissing a petition filed by Gowtham Sigamani.

    The DMK leader was accused of illegally quarrying an excessive amount of red sand, amounting to 2,64,644 lorry loads. The alleged violation resulted in a loss of over Rs 28 crore to the public exchequer.

    Ponmudy is the second minister in the DMK Cabinet who is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. Senthil Balaji, who is the minister under the DMK regime, has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate. He has been sent back to Puzhal prison on Monday after undergoing heart surgery in Kauvery Hospital.

    CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy’s ordeal with Enforcement Directorate is likely to continue on Tuesday after the 72-year-old MLA from Tirukkoyilur assembly was probed by the central agency for nearly 20 hours — 13 hours at his home and seven hours at the ED office in Nungambakkam. He has been summoned by Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday evening at 4 pm.

    After almost an overnight enquiry by the ED officials, both Ponmudi and his son Gautham Sigamani, an MP from Kallakurichi, were allowed to go home at about 3.30 am on Tuesday morning. They have been asked to appear before the ED officials at 4 pm on Tuesday again for further enquiry, DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said.

    “What’s the logic in inquiring into a case 13 years after it was registered? This is nothing but a political vendetta by the BJP government because Ponmudi took on Governor R N Ravi on the new education policy, the appointment of vice-chancellors and other key issues,” Saravanan added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    ALSO READ | Disproportionate assets: Ponmudy, wife walk free

    After the searches, which continued at his home in Saidapet at around 7 pm, the minister was taken to Enforcement Directorate to record his statement at 8 pm on Monday in his imported car along with CRPF policemen.

    While there have been allegations that the Enforcement Directorate has seized fixed deposit receipts of Rs 41.9 crore, around Rs 70 lakh cash and some foreign currency, from the linked premises of the minister, there has been no confirmation from Enforcement Directorate. ‘No unaccounted cash or any incriminating documents were seized from the Minister as being claimed,’ Saravanan told reporters

    The case pertains to allegations that Ponmudy violated quarry licenses during his tenure as a minister in the DMK government between 2006 and 2011. The case was filed by the AIADMK government led by Jayalalithaa soon after it came to power in 2011. The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch had been investigating the case. 

    The minister is accused of obtaining mining/ quarry licences for his son and other family members, and the licensees are alleged to have quarried red sand beyond the permissible limit. the enforcement Directorate had called off searches of Ponmudy’s home in Villupuram on Monday night.

    The searches are happening after Madras High Court last month refused to stay proceedings in the case while dismissing a petition filed by Gowtham Sigamani.

    The DMK leader was accused of illegally quarrying an excessive amount of red sand, amounting to 2,64,644 lorry loads. The alleged violation resulted in a loss of over Rs 28 crore to the public exchequer.

    Ponmudy is the second minister in the DMK Cabinet who is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. Senthil Balaji, who is the minister under the DMK regime, has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate. He has been sent back to Puzhal prison on Monday after undergoing heart surgery in Kauvery Hospital.

  • ED searches premises of Emparta Infrastructures in Rose Valley money laundering case

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it carried out searches at several premises of Emparta Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and its directors in connection with the Rose Valley ponzi scheme money laundering case

    The financial probe agency, in a statement, said that it carried out searches at several premises of the company and its directors in West Bengal’s Siliguri and Sikkim on Thursday. It said that during searches Emparta Infrastructure Pvt Limited has voluntarily tendered a draft amounting Rs 2.60 crore of their pending arrears of lease rent pertaining to a Rose Valley Group hotel.

    It also said that unaccounted cash of Rs 44 lakh was also seized from the premises during search.

    The ED had initiated a money laundering case against Rose Valley Group of companies along with other persons related to company on the basis of various FIRs registered by West Bengal Police and the CBI.

    During the probe, it was found that Rose Valley Group collected funds from the people by floating fake and fictitious schemes and defaulted the re-payments amounting to Rs 6,666 crore which constitutes the proceeds of crime. During the course of investigation, movable and immovable properties to the tune of Rs 1,172 crore have already been attached and seized so far.

    The ED had arrested Gautam Kundu, promoter, owner, chairman of Rose Valley Group of Companies, in March 2015 and he is still in judicial custody. The ED has filed a charge sheet and two supplementary charge sheets in connection with the money laundering probe.

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it carried out searches at several premises of Emparta Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and its directors in connection with the Rose Valley ponzi scheme money laundering case

    The financial probe agency, in a statement, said that it carried out searches at several premises of the company and its directors in West Bengal’s Siliguri and Sikkim on Thursday. It said that during searches Emparta Infrastructure Pvt Limited has voluntarily tendered a draft amounting Rs 2.60 crore of their pending arrears of lease rent pertaining to a Rose Valley Group hotel.

    It also said that unaccounted cash of Rs 44 lakh was also seized from the premises during search.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The ED had initiated a money laundering case against Rose Valley Group of companies along with other persons related to company on the basis of various FIRs registered by West Bengal Police and the CBI.

    During the probe, it was found that Rose Valley Group collected funds from the people by floating fake and fictitious schemes and defaulted the re-payments amounting to Rs 6,666 crore which constitutes the proceeds of crime. During the course of investigation, movable and immovable properties to the tune of Rs 1,172 crore have already been attached and seized so far.

    The ED had arrested Gautam Kundu, promoter, owner, chairman of Rose Valley Group of Companies, in March 2015 and he is still in judicial custody. The ED has filed a charge sheet and two supplementary charge sheets in connection with the money laundering probe.

  • Jharkhand land scam case: ED makes two more arrests, seeks 5-day remand for interrogation

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal and his associate Dilip Ghosh from Kolkata on Wednesday night in connection with the Army land scam which took place in Ranchi. Eight persons, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, were arrested earlier in the case.

    Later, ED produced both the accused persons before a Special PMLA court in Ranchi and sought five days’ remand for them. ED’s petition, however, is still pending in the court and is likely to be heard on Friday.

    “Both Agrawal and Ghosh were produced before the court on Thursday and sent into judicial custody. ED has sought five-day remand for them, which is still pending in the court,” said EDs advocate Shiv Kumar Kaka. Arguments on the matter of remand will be discussed on Friday, he added. ED’s action is related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of 4.55 acres of land occupied by the army at Bariatu Road in Ranchi.

    The accused, Amit Agrawal, along with the then Ranchi DC Chhavi Ranjan, forged documents to grab a costly land in Ranchi under the possession of the Indian Army. Earlier in the morning, the ED sleuths searched Agarwal’s house in Kolkata but did not find him there. The ED called him and Ghosh in for questioning before the Ranchi zonal office. They were arrested from Kolkata after a long interrogation.

    The transfer of several pieces of prime lands had been questioned earlier by the then Divisional Commissioner Nitin Madan Kulkarni in his report sent to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.

    The inquiry set up by Kulkarni has stated that 4.55 acres of land in Ranchi are currently under the possession of the Indian Army, but owned by Jayant Karnad, who fraudulently sold out to Dilip Ghosh. The inquiry was ordered in the wake of a complaint lodged by the national general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Upendra Kumar in November 2021.

    Kolkata-based Dilip Ghosh is the director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited. It was learnt that he had a close connection in Jharkhand’s power portal. Notably, Amit Agrawal was arrested by ED earlier in October this year for hatching a conspiracy to trap Jharkhand High Court Advocate Rajiv Kumar, a lawyer representing a petitioner in two PILs filed against several high-ups, including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

    Agrawal is currently on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. It is alleged that the Jharkhand HC has advocated for Rajeev Kumar to file a PIL in Jharkhand High Court against Agrawal and was said to be asking Rs 10 crore to withdraw the PIL filed in Jharkhand High Court.

    After negotiations, he allegedly settled at Rs 1 crore for which the first installment of Rs 50 lakh was paid and he was caught red-handed with it by Kolkata police and arrested on July 31. Later ED arrested Amit Agrawal and told an ED court in Ranchi that he had created a “facade” and “hatched” a criminal conspiracy to “trap” Rajeev Kumar.

    RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal and his associate Dilip Ghosh from Kolkata on Wednesday night in connection with the Army land scam which took place in Ranchi. Eight persons, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, were arrested earlier in the case.

    Later, ED produced both the accused persons before a Special PMLA court in Ranchi and sought five days’ remand for them. ED’s petition, however, is still pending in the court and is likely to be heard on Friday.

    “Both Agrawal and Ghosh were produced before the court on Thursday and sent into judicial custody. ED has sought five-day remand for them, which is still pending in the court,” said EDs advocate Shiv Kumar Kaka. Arguments on the matter of remand will be discussed on Friday, he added. ED’s action is related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of 4.55 acres of land occupied by the army at Bariatu Road in Ranchi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The accused, Amit Agrawal, along with the then Ranchi DC Chhavi Ranjan, forged documents to grab a costly land in Ranchi under the possession of the Indian Army. Earlier in the morning, the ED sleuths searched Agarwal’s house in Kolkata but did not find him there. The ED called him and Ghosh in for questioning before the Ranchi zonal office. They were arrested from Kolkata after a long interrogation.

    The transfer of several pieces of prime lands had been questioned earlier by the then Divisional Commissioner Nitin Madan Kulkarni in his report sent to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.

    The inquiry set up by Kulkarni has stated that 4.55 acres of land in Ranchi are currently under the possession of the Indian Army, but owned by Jayant Karnad, who fraudulently sold out to Dilip Ghosh. The inquiry was ordered in the wake of a complaint lodged by the national general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Upendra Kumar in November 2021.

    Kolkata-based Dilip Ghosh is the director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited. It was learnt that he had a close connection in Jharkhand’s power portal. Notably, Amit Agrawal was arrested by ED earlier in October this year for hatching a conspiracy to trap Jharkhand High Court Advocate Rajiv Kumar, a lawyer representing a petitioner in two PILs filed against several high-ups, including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

    Agrawal is currently on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. It is alleged that the Jharkhand HC has advocated for Rajeev Kumar to file a PIL in Jharkhand High Court against Agrawal and was said to be asking Rs 10 crore to withdraw the PIL filed in Jharkhand High Court.

    After negotiations, he allegedly settled at Rs 1 crore for which the first installment of Rs 50 lakh was paid and he was caught red-handed with it by Kolkata police and arrested on July 31. Later ED arrested Amit Agrawal and told an ED court in Ranchi that he had created a “facade” and “hatched” a criminal conspiracy to “trap” Rajeev Kumar.

  • Cattle smuggling case: ED charge sheet reveals ‘involvement of BSF’; Mamata targets Centre

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: In a 204-page supplementary charge sheet submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the cattle smuggling case before a Delhi court on Thursday, the central agency mentioned BSF’s (Border Security Force) direct involvement and nexus with the suspects helping them to provide passage to deliver cattle to Bangladesh.

    It may be recalled that Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal and his daughter Sukanya were arrested in connection with the case.

    The TMC leaders see in the central agency’s findings a political tool to target the BJP-led government at the Centre, since BSF comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

    “All Truck drivers transporting the cattle of this syndicate were given a PAD (Token). A PAD/ token was an identification so that there is no hindrance by local administration or police authority in the transportation of cattle.  Each truck driver was given directions towards the border outpost (BOP) at Nimitita, Khandua and Giria situated in Murshidabad district under the 36- Battalion of the BSF. The drivers had to deliver these cattle for further smuggling through local operatives. Mostly the cattle used to be sent through the border between 11 PM and 3 A.M. in connivance with BSF officials,” said an ED official quoting the charge sheet.

    While addressing a rally in Murshidabad district on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Centre on the issue of cattle smuggling. “BSF is directly involved in the cattle smuggling and it is a central agency. The BSF is responsible for guarding the border. How can they not be held accountable if cows are being smuggled from right under their nose? Our party functionaries are being maligned to hide their failure,” she said.

    Last year, the CBI arrested BSF’s commandant of the 36 Battalion Satish Kumar in connection with cattle smuggling and the ED also later took him into custody. Kumar is presently in Tihar jail.

    Mamata, who is also Trinamool Congress’s chairperson, and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, also the national general secretary of the party, have been constantly raising BSF’s involvement.    

    TMC minister Firhad Hakim said the central probe agency finally agreed with what his party has been claiming for long. He also questioned why cattle smuggling cases before 2011, during the Left Front regime in Bengal, are being left out.  

    “We have repeatedly raised our voices and pointed out that it is the central force that guards the border is responsible for cattle smuggling across the border areas,” Hakim added. 

    KOLKATA: In a 204-page supplementary charge sheet submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the cattle smuggling case before a Delhi court on Thursday, the central agency mentioned BSF’s (Border Security Force) direct involvement and nexus with the suspects helping them to provide passage to deliver cattle to Bangladesh.

    It may be recalled that Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal and his daughter Sukanya were arrested in connection with the case.

    The TMC leaders see in the central agency’s findings a political tool to target the BJP-led government at the Centre, since BSF comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “All Truck drivers transporting the cattle of this syndicate were given a PAD (Token). A PAD/ token was an identification so that there is no hindrance by local administration or police authority in the transportation of cattle.  Each truck driver was given directions towards the border outpost (BOP) at Nimitita, Khandua and Giria situated in Murshidabad district under the 36- Battalion of the BSF. The drivers had to deliver these cattle for further smuggling through local operatives. Mostly the cattle used to be sent through the border between 11 PM and 3 A.M. in connivance with BSF officials,” said an ED official quoting the charge sheet.

    While addressing a rally in Murshidabad district on Friday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the Centre on the issue of cattle smuggling. “BSF is directly involved in the cattle smuggling and it is a central agency. The BSF is responsible for guarding the border. How can they not be held accountable if cows are being smuggled from right under their nose? Our party functionaries are being maligned to hide their failure,” she said.

    Last year, the CBI arrested BSF’s commandant of the 36 Battalion Satish Kumar in connection with cattle smuggling and the ED also later took him into custody. Kumar is presently in Tihar jail.

    Mamata, who is also Trinamool Congress’s chairperson, and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, also the national general secretary of the party, have been constantly raising BSF’s involvement.    

    TMC minister Firhad Hakim said the central probe agency finally agreed with what his party has been claiming for long. He also questioned why cattle smuggling cases before 2011, during the Left Front regime in Bengal, are being left out.  

    “We have repeatedly raised our voices and pointed out that it is the central force that guards the border is responsible for cattle smuggling across the border areas,” Hakim added. 

  • Jharkhand land scam: ED arrests IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: After 10 hours of questioning, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrested IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan on Thursday under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly colluding with land mafias to grab private and government lands in Ranchi. 

    Ranjan was summoned for the second time on Thursday for questioning after he was allowed to go home on April 24 after 10 hours of questioning. Ranjan is the eighth accused in the land scam. The ED had already arrested seven persons, including a circle inspector and land brokers.

    The role of Ranjan in transferring prime lands had come to the fore earlier in a report submitted by the then Divisional Commissioner NM Kulkarni to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.

    Ranjan was Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi from July 15, 2020, to July 11, 2022.

    A 2011 batch IAS officer, Chhavi Ranjan is currently posted at the State Department of Social Welfare.

    On April 13, the Enforcement Directorate sleuths had conducted raids in 21 locations linked to Chhavi Ranjan spread across Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. The ED sleuths allegedly unearthed incriminating documents relating to the land scam by a group having expertise in preparing fake documents, falsifying and forging original documents in Ranchi.

    It was during his period when stone mining lease was granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for mining at Angara on the outskirts of Ranchi.

    RANCHI: After 10 hours of questioning, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrested IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan on Thursday under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly colluding with land mafias to grab private and government lands in Ranchi. 

    Ranjan was summoned for the second time on Thursday for questioning after he was allowed to go home on April 24 after 10 hours of questioning. Ranjan is the eighth accused in the land scam. The ED had already arrested seven persons, including a circle inspector and land brokers.

    The role of Ranjan in transferring prime lands had come to the fore earlier in a report submitted by the then Divisional Commissioner NM Kulkarni to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Ranjan was Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi from July 15, 2020, to July 11, 2022.

    A 2011 batch IAS officer, Chhavi Ranjan is currently posted at the State Department of Social Welfare.

    On April 13, the Enforcement Directorate sleuths had conducted raids in 21 locations linked to Chhavi Ranjan spread across Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. The ED sleuths allegedly unearthed incriminating documents relating to the land scam by a group having expertise in preparing fake documents, falsifying and forging original documents in Ranchi.

    It was during his period when stone mining lease was granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for mining at Angara on the outskirts of Ranchi.