The Delhi High Court has asked the Director of Enforcement Directorate to explain how the grounds of arrest are informed to an arrested person in terms of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.
Justice Mukta Gupta gave the order while hearing ED’s plea challenging a trial court’s order directing it to supply a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to RJD Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh, arrested in a money laundering case related to an alleged fertiliser scam.
The court also issued notice to Mr. Singh on ED’s plea seeking to set aside the trial court’s July 15 order.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for ED, argued that there is no specific power with the trial court to pass directions to the agency to supply the copy of the ECIR. The ASG stated that no prejudice has been caused to Mr. Singh by “non-supply of the ECIR, which is not like an FIR on the basis whereof investigation is started”.
The court, however, directed the Director of ED to submit whether the ECIR “is merely a number or records some substantive information therein for the petitioner (ED) to start the investigation thereon prior to filing of the complaint case".
Sixty two-year-old Singh was arrested by the agency on June 2 under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The case pertains to an alleged fertiliser scam linked to the IFFCO and India Potash Limited, in which the CBI had registered a corruption case in May.
