The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing on August 8 for arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari’s petition challenging his declaration as a fugitive by the Rouse Avenue Court.
Justice Neena Krishna Bansal will preside over the matter and has directed all parties to submit their written responses before the next hearing.
Court to Deliver Verdict in 15 Days
The bench clarified that it would deliver a verdict within 15 days. The court was initially expected to reserve its judgment today on Bhandari’s petition.
However, ED’s counsel Zoheb Hossain urged the court to hold a final hearing on the appeal challenging the lower court’s order, stating that the arguments presented today essentially cover the merits of the case. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju supported this request.
Bhandari also requested an interim stay on the Rouse Avenue Court proceedings scheduled for August 2. He is currently facing a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and has been residing in the UK since fleeing India in 2016.
The Income Tax Department first filed a case against Bhandari in 2015. Based on this, the ED registered a money laundering case, accusing him of tax evasion, transferring black money abroad, and accepting bribes in defence deals.
In 2020, British police arrested Bhandari. However, a UK court recently rejected India’s extradition request filed by the ED.
On April 19, Bhandari’s senior counsel, Maninder Singh, opposed the move to declare him a fugitive. He argued that Bhandari is living legally in the UK under British law and that the Indian government cannot override a UK court’s decision denying extradition.
ED Petition Lacks Legal Grounds: Defence
Bhandari’s legal team also contended that the ED’s petition does not meet the essential conditions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. They pointed out that under this law, a person can only be declared a fugitive if the alleged amount involved is ₹100 crore or more.
The Income Tax Department had itself admitted before the Delhi High Court that the allegations against Bhandari involve a sum less than ₹100 crore.
Bhandari’s name has also surfaced in the ED’s ongoing investigation into money laundering allegations against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, Robert Vadra.
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