A special court in Gurgaon on Tuesday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to allow Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora, who is currently in the agency's custody, to meet his lawyer for one hour daily from 10am to 11am. Arora was arrested in connection with a case of money laundering and fake GST billing worth approximately Rs 100 crore.
Court's Directive on Legal Access
Arora had filed an application seeking the court's permission to allow ED officials to let him choose a lawyer of his choice and sign the vakalatnama so that the lawyer could officially represent his case. The city court also directed the ED to provide all facilities, medicines, and necessary equipment as advised by the medical officer during his custody period.
Remand and Next Hearing
The ED produced Arora late Saturday night before the court of PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) special judge and district and sessions judge Narendra Sura. Sura fixed May 16 as the next date of hearing. Special public prosecutor Simon Benjamin, present on behalf of ED, raised no objection to the demand. Following this, the court accepted the application and directed the investigating officer to comply with the order immediately.
The court said that the investigating officer should allow minister Arora to sign the vakalatnama, duly verify the document, and thereafter hand over the relevant documents to his lawyer or a family member. The court also made it clear that the order be complied with immediately. Upon expiry of the remand period, the accused will be produced in the court.
Case Details
The case pertains to the preparation of fake GST bills in the name of buying and selling mobile phones through shell companies and money laundering. The investigating agency claimed that companies linked to Arora conducted suspicious transactions through alleged fake firms in Delhi. In this connection, raids were conducted at several locations, including Delhi, Chandigarh, and Gurgaon.
