Bombay HC issues notice to DHFL promoters on Enforcement Directorate plea to cancel their bails

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (April 15) moved the Bombay High Court seeking cancellation of bail of DHFL promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan, accused in a money laundering case. The DHFL promoters recently violated bail conditions and traveled to their farmhouse at Mahabaleshwar hill station in Maharashtra’s Satara district during the lockdown imposed due to coronavirus.

Advocate Purnima Kantharia of the ED mentioned the application before high court Justice P D Naik. The court then issued a notice to Wadhawan and posted the matter for further hearing on April 23.

The woes of the Wadhwan brothers do not end here as the ED also submitted before the HC to cancel their bails in the Iqbal Mirchi money laundering case. Notices have been issued to the Wadhawan brothers, and the case will be heard on April 23.

In January this year, the ED arrested the Wadhawan brothers for their dubious dealings with gangster Iqbal Mirchi, who died in 2013, and was booked under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED last week issued orders for the seizure of five luxury vehicles in which Kapil Wadhawan, his brother Dheeraj Wadhawan and their other family members traveled to their farmhouse at Mahabaleshwar hill station amid lockdown.

On April 10, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh appointed Additional Chief Secretary to probe against Principal Secretary Amitabh Gupta, who issued “picnic” passes to DHFL promoters. The state government has sent Amitabh Gupta on a compulsory leave till further notice and his charge has been given to Srikant Singh. 

On that day, Wadhavan brothers were booked under IPC Section 188 at Mahabaleshwar Police station for flouting  Section 144 imposed due to the nationwide lockdown amid coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. 

Notably, Gupta gave permission to the Wadhwan brothers against whom CBI had issued a lookout notice in the Yes Bank fraud case.

Earlier in March, the CBI had registered a case (RC 219 2020 E0004, EO-I, CBI, New Delhi) on 07.03.2020, in which Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan, Rana Kapoor (the then MD & CEO of Yes Bank) and others were made accused.