High Court Rejects Robert Vadra’s Plea in the Money-Laundering Case

GG News Bureau

Jodhpur, 23rd Dec. The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra seeking the removal of an Enforcement Directorate investigation into the purchase of land in Bikaner by a company linked to him.

However, the court of Justice P S Bhati extended the arrest’s stay for a further two weeks to give him time to file an appeal with a higher court.

Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, is being investigated in connection with Sky Light Hospitality LLP’s purchase of land in Bikaner’s Kolayat.

Based on a complaint about the purchase of 275 bighas of land in Kolayat, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report).

The land was allegedly purchased in the name of a mediator’s driver, Mahesh Nagre, with a cheque written by Robert Vadra.

The ED’s Additional Solicitor General, R D Rastogi, said the court rejected Vadra’s writ petition to quash the ECIR.

In November 2018, the ED summoned Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra, allegedly partners at Sky Light Hospitality LLP, but neither appeared before the agency. Instead, they petitioned the Supreme Court for a “no coercive action” order and a stay of arrest.

The petition was opposed by the additional solicitor general, who stated that an ex-parte stay had been in effect since 2018 and that the ED had filed an application for Robert Vadra’s custodial interrogation.

He went on to say that the Supreme Court had already ruled in favor of the ED.

Rastogi contended that filing the writ petition challenging the ED’s action was an abuse of the court’s process, and that there is a case of money laundering against Robert Vadra and his colleagues.

The Rajasthan High Court concluded its hearing in the money laundering case on Wednesday. The court has reserved its decision in the case and will issue it on Thursday.