City
Epaper

ED to respond on Ratul Puri's anticipatory bail by Aug 20

By IANS | Updated: August 14, 2019 15:10 IST

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate over a plea filed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's nephew Ratul Puri challenging the trial court's opposition to his anticipatory bail.

Open in App

Justice Sunil Gaur asked the agency to file a response supported with a short affidavit.

The court asked the agency to state about the developments in the case, reasons why it needed custodial interrogation of Puri and the details and extent of the property attached by the Income Tax Department.

The court will now hear the matter on August 20.

During the hearing, Puri's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued: "I have given 107 pages of statements... You attach a company's property naming it as Benami and you are showing it to my roots."

Opposing this, Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi said: "What the Income Tax Department does, how are we responsible for that? However, we will write about it in our reply. The matter is at a crucial stage and interim custody should not be granted."

Reportedly, the Income Tax Department has attached a property belonging to Puri and his father Deepak Puri under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988.

Puri on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order dismissing his anticipatory bail to him in a money laundering case relating to the AgustaWestland case.

On August 9, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Puri after the ED alleged that Puri was non-cooperative.

Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the application filed by the Enforcement Directorate seeking issuance of the non-bailable warrant against Puri.

ED's counsel Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh told the court earlier that Puri was evasive.

"He is evasive, there is flight risk and we have evidence that he is tampering with evidence and is influencing the witness," he added.

The court had last week dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Puri.

Puri, who has been questioned in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, on July 26 sought a break from the investigating officer, saying he needed to go to the washroom. But he slipped away, an agency official said.

Puri denied the allegation and said he was granted a lunch break during interrogation.

Ratul Puri is under the scanner of probe agencies for allegedly receiving kickbacks in AgustaWestland deal through his companies.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: puriBenamiD P Singh
Open in App

Related Stories

LifestyleOdisha: Snana Yatra of Lord Jagannath and Siblings Begins in Puri; Check Full Snana Purnima Schedule

NationalOdisha: Akash Ambani Offers Prayers at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri (Watch Video)

NationalMaharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Offers Prayers at Odisha's Jagannath Temple in Puri, Shares Spiritual Experience (Watch Video)

NationalOdisha Fire: 13 Makeshift Shops Destroyed in Huge Blaze Near Geetanjali in Puri

NationalOdisha Train Firing: Unidentified Miscreants Open Fire, Throw Metal Objects at Puri-New Delhi Nandan Kanan Express (Watch Video)

National Realted Stories

NationalAndhra takes centre stage in Yoga Day celebrations; PM Modi to lead national event from Vizag

NationalGujarat: EC orders re-polling at two booths in Visavadar following AAP's booth capturing complaint

NationalNormal life hit in two Manipur districts as tribal body calls shutdown

NationalPolitics of scams, appeasement, replaced by development, innovation: Tripura CM Manik Saha

NationalJune 25, ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas’-- a sombre reminder: Vice-President Dhankhar