HC seeks ED’s response to Lakdawala’s petition against LoC within 1 week

The Bombay High Court has directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond within one week to Feroz Lakdawala's plea to quash a lookout circular (LOC) issued against him, his wife, and his late father in connection with a land grab case. Lakdawala argued that he and his wife were not accused in the case and that travel restrictions violated their rights. The case against his father originated from a 2019 complaint alleging forgery and usurpation of land.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply within one week to Feroz Lakdawala’s plea for quashing a look out circular (LOC) issued against him, his wife and his late father and builder Yusuf Lakdawala in connection with a land grab case.

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Lakdawala approached the high court towards the end of 2023, seeking suspension of the LOC, which restricts his and his wife’s overseas travel. In the petition, he claimed ignorance about the existence of the LOC until he and his wife examined an enforcement case information report from July 2019 against Yusuf Lakdawala, which was served to them in September 2021.

The petition filed through advocates Aditya Talpade and Pratik Karande stated that since neither Feroz Lakdawala nor his wife were accused or named in the case involving his father, there should be no basis for imposing travel restrictions on them. The petition further stated that since both Lakdawala and his wife were directors in various companies like Snehadhara Constructions Pvt Ltd and Unity Rexines Pvt Ltd, they needed to travel overseas frequently, and imposing constraints on their travel violated their right to equality and freedom.

The case against Yusuf Lakdawala originates from an April 2019 first information report filed by Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), alleging that the builder usurped a 4-acre 38-guntha plot in Khandala bearing survey number 104 (CTS no. 11, 11A, 11B). It was alleged that the plot originally belonged to eminent writer Mulk Raj Anand, who had purchased it from the Nizam of Hyderabad. After Anand’s demise, Yusuf Lakdawala, with the assistance of his associates, purportedly forged documents showing his father had acquired the plot from the Nizam in 1949 and claiming ownership of the same. It was also alleged that attempts were made to destroy the original land records at the Lonavala revenue office, said an ED officer.

Following the complaint, authorities issued a lookout circular against Yusuf Lakdawala, his son Feroz Lakdawala and his wife. Yusuf Lakdawala was apprehended on April 12, 2019 at Ahmedabad airport while attempting to leave the country. He was arrested by the ED in May 2021 and passed away at Arthur Road Jail in September 2021 due to prolonged illness.