Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora on Tuesday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking quashing of his ED remand until May 16.
In his petition, he challenged his arrest on May 9 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as arbitrary, stating that no incriminating material was recovered from his possession during the searches.
The plea states that his custody is “illegal and unconstitutional” since no evidence or material was recovered by the financial crime probing agency during the recent raids.
He was arrested on May 9 under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The petition mentions that the arrest was, on the face of it, “arbitrary, mechanical, and without jurisdiction, which is a clear violation of the mandatory safeguards guaranteed under Articles 14, 21 and 22 of the Constitution of India”.
A Gurugram Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (PMLA) had earlier granted the ED permission to arrest Arora and remanded him to the custody of the Directorate of Enforcement until May 16.
The petition was filed through advocates Vibhav Jain, Viren Sibal and Jasman Singh Gill and is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry. Senior advocate Puneet Bali is expected to argue the matter.
Arora rejected the allegations that he was the promoter and erstwhile chairman of M/s Hampton Sky Realty Limited (HSRL).
The petitioner also stated that the company had started the export of mobile phones in the year 2023-24 as part of its legitimate business expansion and diversification.
The petition mentions that Arora had resigned from his position as chairman and managing director after being elected to public office, adding that he had no involvement in the day-to-day operations, management or business affairs of the organisation.
Arora’s petition states that the ED had not recovered or submitted any incriminating document, digital device, currency, unaccounted asset or incriminating material during the search proceedings. Therefore, the grounds of his arrest were completely evasive and did not meet the legal requirements.
Also read: Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora sent to 7-day ED custody
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