Delhi court summons Kamal Nath’s nephew in fertiliser scam case

Puri is also an accused in cases related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam and Moser Baer scam. He is currently out on bail.

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday summoned Ratul Puri, nephew of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, as an accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged fertiliser scam for which ₹685 crore was paid as kickbacks.

Ratul Puri (HT)

Puri is also an accused in cases related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam and Moser Baer scam. He is currently out on bail.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull, while taking cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet in the case, directed Puri to appear before the court on January 18.

The judge passed the order while noting the submissions made by the ED that prima facie, there was enough evidence to prosecute Puri. Besides Puri, the judge also summoned Sangam Theatres Private Limited and Sanjay Jain, who is currently in judicial custody in the case.

According to the ED, the fertiliser scam case, also involving RJD Rajya Sabha member Amarendra Dhari Singh and IFFCO managing director and CEO US Awasthi, relates to illegal commissions worth over ₹685 crore allegedly paid to the NRI sons of Awasthi and Indian Potash Ltd (IPL) managing director PS Gahlaut, and some others by overseas suppliers during 2007-14.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) is a multi-state farmers’ cooperative, while IPL is its company involved in supplying fertilisers for which the government provides subsidies to keep the rates affordable, the ED said.

It alleged that Awasthi and others in IFFCO generated proceeds of crime and layered it through various unrelated entities and part of that was transferred to the entities controlled by Awasthi and others.

During the hearing, the court also dismissed Jain’s plea seeking default bail in the case, saying that the ground was not sufficient to grant him the relief.

“...accused Ratul Puri and accused company M/s Sangam Theatres Private Limited knowingly assisted in the activities of concealment of the proceeds of crime and by showing it to be untainted property... there is sufficient material on record to summon accused Sanjay Jain, Ratul Puri and M/s Sangam Theatres Private Limited as an accused ...under the PMLA,” the court said.