Rail scam: Nine apply for bail, PMLA Court issues notices to ED

Chandigarh, November 2

A PMLA Court here has issued notices to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the anticipatory bail applications filed by nine accused in a money laundering case related to the seven-year-old alleged rail scam. Jagjit Singh, Special judge, asked the ED to file its reply on November 9.

Mahesh Kumar, Narayan Rao Manjunath, Sandeep Goyal, Vijay Singla, Rahul Yadav, Sameer Sandhir, Sushil Daga, CV Venugopal and MV Murali Krishna filed the anticipatory bail applications through advocate Siddharth Pandit.

Finding a prima facie case against all the accused for commission of the offence under Section 3 punishable under Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the PMLA court had issued summons to accused for November 18.

Earlier, Assistant Director, ED, had filed the complaint against the accused persons.

The CBI had registered an FIR in the case on May 3, 2013 on the basis of source information against Mahesh Kumar, then Member (Staff), Railway Board, New Delhi, and seven other private persons.

The court in its summoning order stated that the source information revealed that Mahesh Kumar being a public servant was in regular contact with a private person Narayan Rao Manjunath, Managing Director of M/s GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, and was trying to get himself appointed as Member (Electrical), Railway Board.

Manjunath and Mahesh Kumar were further in contact with other accused, who allegedly demanded an illegal gratification for the task.

After investigation, the CBI had filed a chargesheet in the case on July 2, 2013 under Section 120B of the IPC read with Sections 7, 8 and 12 of the PC Act, 1988 before the Special Judge, CBI, against 11 persons.

Being a matter of scheduled offence of money laundering, a case was recorded by the Directorate of Enforcement, Chandigarh Zonal Office and matter was taken up for investigation. — TNS