The Delhi High Court has cleared journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad, subject to certain conditions after she was barred from flying to London last week.
Ms Ayyub, a vocal critic of the central government, was stopped at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday after the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the case, accused her of money laundering.
Last week, the court granted the Enforcement Directorate permission to file a status report on the ongoing investigation(s) into Rana Ayyub, who is accused of financial fraud and of violating the Prevention of Money Laundering Act’s provisions (PMLA). She filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, but the agency filed an opposition, claiming that the charges against her are “serious” in nature and false.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared on behalf of Ms Ayyub, stated that “Her bank accounts have been emptied of all funds. The deception is obvious. There will be no summons from ED after February 1 and no communication from them. Because my client is a government critic, the ED’s action is a complete farce.”
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared on behalf of Ms Ayyub, stated that “Her bank accounts have been emptied of all funds. The deception is obvious. There will be no summons from ED after February 1 and no communication from them. Because my client is a government critic, the ED’s action is a complete farce.”
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared on behalf of Ms Ayyub, stated that “Her bank accounts have been emptied of all funds. The deception is obvious. There will be no summons from ED after February 1 and no communication from them.
Because my client is a government critic, the ED’s action is a complete farce.” Senior advocate Vrinda Grover, who appeared on behalf of Ms Ayyub, stated that “Her bank accounts have been emptied of all funds. The deception is obvious. There will be no summons from ED after February 1 and no communication from them. Because my client is a government critic, the ED’s action is a complete farce.”
According to a document attributed to “ED sources,” the agency that investigates financial crimes discovered that between 2020 and 2021, the journalist raised over 2.69 crores for charitable purposes through an online crowdfunding platform called Ketto.
The ASG opposes the lifting of alleged travel restrictions against accused Rana Ayyub, while the Court expresses his scepticism, saying, “If that’s your best case, that a lookout circular was issued because of non-cooperation, why not arrest them?” Court continues. “This case is not as simple as what is being portrayed,” ASG SV Raju told the court on Friday. Under the guise of covid relief, Rana Ayyub raised funds totalling up to 2 crores.
They’ve been snatched away. These were received in Indian Rupees (INR) and US Dollars. In the name of relief work, she submitted fake bills. Rana Ayyub made a 50 lakh deposit for herself, and 50 lakhs were transferred for personal consumption. A warning had been issued much earlier.
The court then inquired as to how much money she should be required to submit. ASG Raju advised Ayyub to return to Bombay and leave all of her details about her foreign trip to the authorities. ASG had argued that Rana Ayyub should be subjected to some conditions in order for her to return. Soon, a detailed order with conditions will be available.
The lawyer for Rana Ayyub claims that her client has no reason not to return to India. She also has family in the area. On irrational grounds, she is being prevented from travelling. According to the Delhi High Court, Ayyub has elderly parents in India.
“Mr Raju (ASG), the financial frauds are not in the thousands of crores; they are in the tens and twenties of crores,” Justice CD Singh says. The Delhi High Court has ruled that no further arguments are necessary and that both sides’ lawyers must understand the current situation. “Right now, I’m not on merits, what the accused did and didn’t do,” bench adds.