Delhi HC issues notice in ED plea challenging anticipatory bail granted to Robert Vadra

The Delhi High Court today issued notice in the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s plea against the anticipatory bail granted to Robert Vadra in a money laundering case he was implicated in..The order was passed by a Single Judge Bench of Justice Chander Shekhar. Notice was also issued in ED’s plea against the anticipatory bail granted to Vadra’s aide Manoj Arora..Appearing for the ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stressed that Robert Vadra did not co-operate with the interrogation and that his custodial interrogation was necessary..In its plea before the High Court, the ED has pleaded that the protection from arrest granted to Vadra was detrimental to its investigation in the case. The plea states,.“…it is trite to say that the anticipatory bail, to some extent, intrudes in the sphere of investigation of crime and that the courts must be cautious and circumspect in exercising such powers…The Ld. Special Judge has passed the impugned order by ignoring the material on record.”.The ED has also informed the Court that investigation on certain crucial aspects in the case such as unearthing the entire source of credit used for the purchase of properties, existence of other linked transactions, accounts, role of other keys persons, etc was ongoing..It has further been alleged that Robert Vadra was likely to tamper with evidence and influence witnesses in the case, as he is a highly influential person..It is also stated that Vadra needs to be confronted with voluminous incriminating evidence to bring the investigation to its logical conclusion..CBI Judge Arvind Kumar had granted anticipatory bail to Vadra and his close aide, Manoj Arora in April this year..Vadra is facing a probe in relation to allegations of money laundering while purchasing a property in London worth 1.9 million pounds. He had moved the CBI Court in February seeking anticipatory bail. The Court had then granted interim bail to Vadra, on the condition that he joins the ED investigation. Subsequently, he was called for interrogation by the ED several times..Vadra’s petition seeking to quash the ECIR registered in the present case is pending before the Delhi High Court..The matter will be heard next on July 17..Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.