HYDERABAD: In an interesting development, the Enforcement Directorate has named Hyderabad-based businessman Sukesh Gupta as accused in a money laundering case following a criminal case filed by Mumbai police against a realty firm and men that have alleged association with him.
Following a stout refusal from a division bench of the Telangana high court to grant him any protection from arrest, the businessman and his two associates withdrew the petitions they filed against the ED's case. Appearing for the ED, additional solicitor general Suryakaran Reddy informed a bench of chief justice Hima Kohli and Justice M S Ramachandra Rao that the ED filed its case following a case that emanated from Mumbai police who booked an FIR against Sukesh Gupta and others based on a complaint filed by Mumbai based Neeharika infrastructure company.
Sukesh and few others along with their Aashi realtors company cheated Neeharika and a J&K-based company called Iris Hospitality by selling a Nizam era King Koti palace, known as Nazri Baugh palace, in Hyderabad to them for Rs 48 crore. The accused used fraudulent documents and backdated sale deeds to achieve their goal, ED counsel Anjali Agarwal said. Irish paid Rs 16 crore to the accused during the lockdown period. Appearing for Sukesh Gupta, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi said that while the FIR was booked by Mumbai police, the ED booked its case at Hyderabad.
He claimed that this is a property dispute between two private parties and the entry of ED is unwarranted because the government suffered no revenue loss. Rohatgi said that ED issued summons to them and there is every likelihood of his client being arrested and sought interim protection. The bench has made it clear that it is not inclined to grant any such protection. The additional solicitor general informed the bench that they have decided to transfer even the ED case to Mumbai. Diljit Singh Ahluwalia, counsel for one of the petitioners, told the court that they would withdraw the writ petitions and would file the same in Bombay high court.