The Delhi High Court said that it will hear a plea by conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, seeking directions to quash the FIR along with a prosecution complaint lodged against him in a money laundering case on December 6. The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to 2017 Election Commission bribery case.
It was alleged that Suresh Chandrasekhar had taken money from former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran to secure for the VK Sasikala faction the party’s two leaves symbol for contesting a by-poll in Tamil Nadu. The matter had come up for hearing before the bench comprising Justice Amit Sharma, who scheduled it for hearing on December 6.
Justice Amit Sharma transferred it to the bench dealing with cases involving legislators. The matter will now be heard by the bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on the aforesaid date.
Sukesh Chandrasekhar has approached the high court through Advocate Anant Singh Malik, claiming that the ongoing proceedings in the trial court are based on a highly biased investigation. He added that the trial court proceedings violate the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. In his plea, Sukesh demanded to suspend the trial proceedings.
In addition, his petition underlines alleged biases in the investigation and preconceived notions against the petitioner. It claimed that the trial court proceedings are in direct connection with the stay granted by the high court on the FIR proceedings at the Crime Branch of Delhi Police. As per the plea, the stay has a direct bearing on the proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED’s ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) is attached to the FIR at PS Crime Branch, New Delhi, initially registered against Sukesh. The plea noted that although four out of the eight accused were dropped or discharged, the trial against Sukesh, along with TTV Dhinakaran, B Kumar, and TP Mallikarjun, carried on.
In addition, the plea also mentioned that the court had stayed proceedings related to the alleged scheduled offenses mentioned in the 2017 FIR. The stay which was initially ordered on September 30, 2019, has been extended to date, with the trial proceedings listed for February 27, 2024.
Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s plea requests the high court keep the trial proceedings in abeyance, stating that the ongoing stay orders and the alleged bias in the investigation. The High Court will consider the matter in subsequent hearings.