E-Paper
HC notice on ED’s plea for vacation of stay
The money laundering probe was based on CBI probe into the same controversy in which allegations are that the property allotted to AJL in the year 1982 was taken back in 1992 since AJL did not comply with the conditions of allotment. But when former Congress chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda became the chief minister in 2005, he allowed the re-allotment of the plot to AJL on old rates
AJL case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has challenged a Panchkula court order whereby proceedings of framing of charges were stayed into the alleged money laundering case in allotment of a plot to Associated Journal Limited (AJL) in Panchkula.
The Punjab and Haryana high court bench of justice Vikas Bahl has sought response from AJL by April 9.
The money laundering probe was based on CBI probe into the same controversy in which allegations are that the property allotted to AJL in the year 1982 was taken back in 1992 since AJL did not comply with the conditions of allotment. But when former Congress chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda became the chief minister in 2005, he allowed the re-allotment of the plot to AJL on old rates.
At the time of the registration of the CBI FIR, late Moti Lal Vora was the chairman of AJL and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul were among the shareholders. The newspaper was launched in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister.
As per ED’s lawyer Arvind Moudgil, the ED has challenged August 30, 2023, order of special judge, PMLA, Panchkula whereby an application from ED for vacation of stay was dismissed. ED had filed an application seeking resumption of hearing for framing of charges in April 2022.
As per Moudgil, money laundering is a stand- alone offence and merely because there is stay of proceedings in predicate offence the proceedings in PMLA trial cannot be stayed on the ground that investigation in predicate offence is not complete.
ED filed prosecution complaint before Panchkula trial court on August 26, 2019, and trial court took note of it on September 26, 2019, and summoned Hooda as accused. As of CBI case trial, the special court has framed charges against Hooda but trial stands stayed by the high court.
