Lift stay on PMLA proceedings against Virbhadra's children: Enforcement Directorate

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today urged the Delhi High Court to vacate its order staying proceedings against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's two children in a money laundering case.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal by ED which said that the "action" by them was "well within confines of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)".

"They (ED) have registered Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, as per law. The petitioners (Virbhadra Singh's two children) name did not figure in the FIR and hence was not mentioned in ECIR.

"...the schemes of the Act, as it now operated, was directed not only against the persons and judicial entities which are prosecuted for scheduled offence by various agencies like CBI, Customs, SEBI etc, but also operates qua persons who conceal, possess, acquire, use and project or claim proceeds of crime," Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for ED, claimed in the affidavit.

The agency further submitted that all of their "actions and investigation have been as per law and as prescribed by the PMLA".

On April 26 the high court had said that ED's provisional order of attaching some assets of Singh's two children in a money laundering case would continue but all subsequent proceedings against them would remain stayed.

The interim order had come on a plea filed by Virbhadra's daughter Aparajita Kumari and son Vikramaditya Singh against March 23 provisional attachment order passed by ED.

The court, however, had refused to stay ED's attachment proceedings against Virbhadra Singh and his wife, but said the final order of the adjudicating authority would not be given effect to while their pleas challenging provisional attachment are pending.