Delhi High Court
Photo: ANI
The Delhi High Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate to clarify its stand on a petition by Sukesh Chandrasekhar. The petition challenges the framing of charges against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the 2017 Election Commission bribery case. Justice Dinesh Kumar, after hearing the arguments of the petitioner’s counsel and the agency, said that the matter required further consideration. Both the parties were also directed to file written representations. The matter will be taken up for further hearing on April 5.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted that in view of the stay on proceedings in respect of the offense in this case, the trial court cannot frame charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED’s counsel said the plea was a ploy to delay the matter. This money laundering case came to the fore during Delhi Police’s investigation into that case in 2017. It was alleged that Sukesh Chandrasekhar took money from former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran to bribe Election Commission officials.
This was done to get the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ election symbol for the VK Sasikala faction in the RK Nagar assembly seat bypoll in Tamil Nadu. The High Court had in 2019 stayed the hearing in the bribery case against Dhinakaran and Sukesh. The trial court had framed charges against Chandrashekhar under the PMLA in October last year.