Hyderabad: ED attaches assets worth crores in PMLA probe against 'illegal' Internet pharmacy
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Wednesday said it has attached land parcels in Madhya Pradesh and bank deposits worth about Rs 8 crore as part of a probe into a drugs trafficking-linked money laundering case against a Hyderabad-based entity that ran an "illegal" Internet pharmacy.
An order has been issued by the Hyderabad ED office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to provisionally attach the properties of JR Infinity Private Ltd., its promoter Aashish Jain and his family members, the federal probe agency said in a statement.
The ED investigation stems from a May 2022 complaint filed against the accused by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
According to the agency, Jain was running an "illegal" Internet pharmacy from the premises of J R Infinity Private Limited and was exporting psychotropic substances such as Alprazolam, Zolpidem, Lorazepam, Clonazepam, Hydrocodone and Oxycodone in tablet form.
He did so in the guise of providing telemarketing call centre services and 'search engine optimisation' services, the ED claimed.
The accused or his family could not be contacted immediately for their response to the allegations made against them by the ED.
Jain incorporated JR Infinity Pvt. Ltd. for illegally exporting psychotropic substances such as Alprazolam, Tramadol, Diazepam etc. to overseas customers in violation of the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and thereby acquired "proceeds of crime", the ED alleged.
Investigation found that even prior to incorporation of the said company, Jain and his family members received foreign remittances of Rs 4.50 crore in their personal bank accounts without any genuine business and against the "illegal sale" of drugs abroad, it said.
The total proceeds of crime identified in the case is Rs 12.76 crore, according to the ED.
The agency found that these funds were "utilised" for the creation of fixed deposits and the purchase of several immovable properties in the name of Aashish Jain and his family members.
The attached properties are in the form of land parcels in the name of Jain and his family members located at Indore in Madhya Pradesh (valued at Rs 6.52 crore) apart from bank balance and fixed deposits valued at Rs 1.46 crore, the statement said.
The total value of these assets is Rs 7.98 crore.
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
