ED summoned me as witness in bitcoin probe: Raj Kundra
Mumbai, June 6: Mumbai businessman Raj Kundra on Wednesday claimed that he had gone to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a witness for the ongoing investigations in the Rs 2,000 crore bitcoin scam.
Kundra -- the husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty -- had appeared before the ED office in Mumbai on Tuesday.
According to some media reports (not by IANS), he was reportedly grilled for several hours by the ED investigators.
"I was summoned by the ED merely as a witness. An enquiry is underway by the concerned regulatory authorities and I stand committed to extend all my cooperation to the law enforcement agency," Kundra said, clearing the air on the issue in a statement.
A businessman with interest in sports, this is not Kundra's first brush with law.
In the past, he had appeared before different authorities on his investments in the Rajasthan Royals IPL team.
Some members of that team were also embroiled in the cricket spot-fixing scandal.
In his statement here vis-A-vis the media speculation of his grilling, Kundra said: "I am terribly disappointed by the irresponsible reporting carried out by some sections of the media. Clarity on the issue should have been sought before carrying such headlines."
"The authorities, summoned me merely as a witness, as the accused Amit Bharadwaj happens to be an acquaintance and some introductions were made hence there is a certain protocol being followed by the agencies," said Kundra.
He added that Bharadwaj was intending to buy a team in his Poker League and had entered into a contract with them for the same.
"However, he was expelled on account of non-payment of fees and I was called as a witness in this connection. While we continuously strive to keep taking steps to improve our reputation, these type of unconfirmed, baseless, reports severely dent our market perception and erode investor sentiments," he said.
"Notwithstanding what has happened, at Viaan Industries, we shall continue to focus on growing our gaming and media vertical. We remain excited about the company's future and strive to keep adding shareholder value," he said.
It may be recalled, the ED, sometime back, had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against a bitcoin-based investment website GainBitcoin, its founder Amit Bhardwaj and eight others.
The ED had alleged that about 8,000 investors lost around Rs 2,000 crore funds by transacting in this scheme.
The Pune police had later arrested Bhardwaj and his brother Vivek in the case.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
