On Thursday, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court dismissed an Enforcement Directorate (ED) petition against a Magistrate Court’s order rejecting its request to intervene & oppose a closure report submitted by police in a Rs 46-crore cheating case against the founder of the now-defunct Jet Airways, Naresh Goyal, & his wife Anita. “Criminal revision application is hereby dismissed,” special Judge Milind V Kurtadikar said. The Court also dismissed an Enforcement Directorate appeal to stay the order for 3 weeks.
On Oct 7, Enforcement Directorate moved the PMLA court as the Magistrate Court had rejected its petition to be heard before it pronounced its order on a Police closure report.
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Police had registered an FIR in Feb after an order by the Magistrate Court. Based on the FIR, ED registered a case against Goyal & others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. But MRA Marg police filed a report in the magistrate court stating that allegations of cheating filed by Akbar Travels against the couple were not true. Akbar Travels had alleged that Jet Airways had not paid dues of more than Rs 46 crore. Akbar Travels did business of Rs 900 crore with Jet Airways. A ‘C’ summary report indicates the case is filed due to “mistake of facts” or it finds that it amounts to a civil case.
ED had in June made submissions before the magistrate court against the report. ED urged the court to direct police to properly investigate the case, including undisclosed foreign bank accounts of Goyal. ED stated that the closure report had not considered crucial facts, failing to highlight facts vital in establishing the criminal case against the accused. The magistrate court on Sept 19 rejected an ED plea to intervene.
Lawyer for Goyal, Pranav Badheka, said ED did not have locus standi to be heard in the matter. Before the magistrate court, submissions have been made by the complaint opposing the closure report. The court is likely to pronounce its order, accepting or rejecting the report, soon.
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