Delhi High Court To Hear UK-Based Arms Consultant Sanjay Bhandari's Plea Against 'Fugitive Economic Offender' Tag On August 08

The Delhi High Court on Friday listed for hearing on August 08 the plea filed by UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari challenging a trial court order declaring him as a “fugitive economic offender”.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna heard arguments on Bhandari's application seeking stay of the trial court order passed on July 05.

As the Court was about to reserve its order on Bhandari's interim application, Enforcement Directorate's special counsel Zoheb Hossain requested that the matter be decided finally after hearing it on merits.

ASG SV Raju, also appearing for the agency, requested the Court to dispose of the matter finally. He said that the arguments made in the stay application essentially cover the merits of the case and thus, the matter be treated as being heard on merits.

At this stage, Bhandari's counsel submitted that if the plea has to be decided finally on merits, the trial court proceedings be deferred. He also requested that the confiscation of Bhandari's assets be halted. The case is listed before the trial court on August 02.

To this, the Court said that if the impugned order goes, then the confiscation also goes automatically. I will decide it within 15 days, the judge said.

“For final and remaining arguments, list on August 08,” the Court ordered.

“Needless to state that the proceedings undertaken before the special judge shall be subject to the outcome of this appeal. Let the written submissions be filed by both the parties by the next date of hearing,” it added.

The matter was listed yesterday before Justice Girish Kathpalia, who recused from hearing it after some submissions.

The impugned order was passed by District Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal of Tis Hazari Courts. The judge said that he was satisfied that Bhandari is a fugitive economic offender under Section 12(1) of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.

Bhandari was thus declared as a fugitive economic offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.

The trial court had said the attempt to extradite Bhandari to India may have failed, but it will not make “accused an angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws”.

Bhandari (63) fled to London in 2016, soon after the Income-Tax (I-T) Department raided him in Delhi. His assets worth about Rs. 21 crore have been attached by the ED under PMLA.

In February, 2017, ED had filed a criminal case against Bhandari and others under the PMLA after taking cognisance of an I-T chargesheet filed against him.

The ED filed its first chargesheet against Bhandari in the year 2020. This was after ED started investigating Bhandari's links with Robert Vadra- husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

In 2023, ED filed a supplementary chargesheet alleging that Bhandari acquired the 12, Bryanston Square house in London in 2009 and got it renovated “as per the directions of Robert Vadra and the funds for renovation were provided by Robert Vadra”.

Title: Sanjay Bhandari v. ED