Mehul Choksi 'fugitive and absconder', ED tells Bombay High Court
Mumbai: Diamantaire Mehul Choksi, accused in the multi-crore Punjab National Bank scam, is a "fugitive and absconder", the Enforcement Directorate told the Bombay High Court on Monday.
The agency, in its affidavit, sought dismissal of two petitions filed by Choksi one against a plea for him to be declared a fugitive economic offender and the second to permit him to cross-examine those persons on whose statements the ED is relying on to declare Choksi a fugitive economic offender.
The ED, in its affidavit submitted on Monday to a division bench headed by Justice I A Mahanty, said Choksi is accused of siphoning and laundering money to the tune of Rs 6,097 crore in the PNB scam, and despite having issued summons directing him to appear before the agency, he has said he does not intend to cooperate with the probe.
"He is a fugitive and absconder. He has deliberately and intentionally evaded from appearing before the investigating agency even after a special court has issued non-bailable warrants against him. This shows that he does not have any regard for the law of the land," the affidavit said.
"It is apparent that the applicant (Choksi) has left India to avoid criminal prosecution for the offence of money laundering under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and continues to refuse to return to India to face criminal prosecution," it said.
It added that Choksi has already taken citizenship of Antigua which clearly shows that he has no intention of returning to India to cooperate with the probe.
The agency further said that under the Fugitive Economic Offender Act, if the fugitive appears in person before the court then the proceedings can be terminated. However, it said, if the person fails to do so the court can declare him a fugitive economic offender and can confiscate his properties.
"The sole purpose of the Act is to compel the fugitive to return to India and face the proceedings initiated against him," the affidavit said.
The Act was introduced as an effective, expeditious and constitutional way to stop offenders from running away, it added.
The high court will take up the petitions for hearing on Tuesday. Choksi, in his plea, claimed he was unable to return to India due to persistent health problems.
To this, the ED said it was merely a facade and that Choksi can seek treatment for his health problems in India.
Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are wanted by the ED and the CBI for allegedly defrauding the PNB to the tune of Rs 13,400 crore, in collusion with a few of its employees.
The ED had filed an application before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court, seeking for Choksi to be declared a "fugitive economic offender" for evading summons to appear before the agency and for his properties be confiscated under the provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.
Choksi had then filed an application before the lower court, seeking for the ED's plea to be dismissed. When the lower court rejected his application, Choksi approached the high court in April this year.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
