Farmers Movement Archive

Money laundering case: HC reserves order on Khaira’s bail plea

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday reserved its order on the bail plea of Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on November 11. Khaira had moved the HC seeking bail on December 13. A Mohali court had dismissed his plea on December 7. The order was reserved by high court bench of justice Sureshwar Thakur after completion of arguments from both sides. The central probe agency had raided Khaira’s premises in March 2021. Proceedings have been initiated in connection with a 2015 FIR. A court had convicted four persons and by the same order, Khaira was summoned as “additional accused”. In December 2017, the Supreme Court stayed his summoning. Khaira, who joined the Congress in June 2021, has all along maintained that these proceedings are part of a “political vendetta”. Khaira claimed that the ED’s action was a case of “witch-hunt” as he has been vocal against the three farm laws, later repealed by the Centre. The ED had initiated proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in January, even as there was a stay from the Supreme Court in the 2015 matter, he had claimed.The ED on the other hand, opposed the bail and claimed that he was an “accomplice” of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers. The ED has also been claiming that he did not cooperate during the custody.

Hindustan Times

20-01-2022

Chandigarh