Chandigarh (Gurpreet Singh): Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora has knocked on the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and seeking his release, alleging that the action was carried out in violation of legal procedure and constitutional safeguards.
Arora, who was taken into custody on May 9 under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), has argued that his detention is unjustified and lacks valid legal grounds. In his plea, he contended that the arrest was executed without proper application of law and was contrary to the protections guaranteed under the Constitution.
The petition also requests the court to put on hold the arrest order and quash the remand granted by the special PMLA court in Gurugram, which had placed him in ED custody until May 16.
The matter is expected to come up before a division bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry. Senior counsel Puneet Bali is likely to appear on Arora’s behalf.
Providing background to the case, the minister stated that he had resigned from all executive responsibilities at Hampton Sky Realty Limited after assuming public office and was no longer associated with the company’s day-to-day functioning.
He asserted that the transactions now under scrutiny were part of legitimate business operations and were fully supported by official records, including export documents, customs clearances, GST filings, banking records and audited financial accounts.
Arora further stated that no incriminating material was found during searches conducted by the ED at his residence prior to his arrest. According to him, neither cash nor suspicious digital evidence or undisclosed assets were recovered.
His plea also claims that the grounds supplied for his arrest were vague and failed to establish any direct involvement in money laundering, as required under the law.
Describing the probe as one based entirely on documentary evidence, Arora argued that there was no need for custodial interrogation since all relevant papers were already with the investigating agency.
He has also accused the authorities of making the arrest in a routine and predetermined manner, while alleging that the remand was granted without an independent assessment of whether legal requirements had been fulfilled.
The High Court’s ruling on the petition is likely to be closely watched, as it could significantly impact both the investigation and the political developments surrounding the case in Punjab.
