The Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted bail to journalist Mahesh Langa in an alleged Goods and Services Tax-related fraud, The Hindu reported.
However, Langa, a journalist with The Hindu in Ahmedabad, will not be released as he is in judicial custody in connection with another related case.
There was no material on record to establish “money laundering”, The Hindu quoted the court as saying on Thursday.
Justice MR Mengdey said that the investigation against Langa was “virtually over by now” and therefore he “deserves consideration”.
There are five cases involving the journalist.
He was arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on October 7 in the alleged Goods and Services Tax-related fraud. The police alleged that a company named Dhruvi Enterprise created six firms from a single Permanent Account Number to fraudulently receive input tax credit.
One of the companies named in the FIR is DA Enterprise.
On October 22, the police registered the second case against Langa for allegedly possessing confidential government documents pertaining to the Gujarat Maritime Board. The documents were recovered from him during his arrest in the first case.
Press bodies have urged the police to withdraw the case against Langa for the alleged possession of confidential government documents.
On October 29, Langa was booked on charges of allegedly cheating a businessman in Ahmedabad.
The complainant, Pranay Shah, who runs an advertising firm, alleged that Langa had offered to help publish “positive news” about him by leveraging his political and bureaucratic contacts.
On the same day, the Ahmedabad Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate announced it had filed a money-laundering case against Langa and others.
On November 27, a second first information report was registered in Rajkot in the same Goods and Services Tax-related fraud case he has now been granted bail in.
The Rajkot Crime Branch had filed the FIR against the owners of 14 firms, including DA Enterprise. The action came on a complaint by Jay Prakash Singh, the superintendent of the Central Goods and Services Tax office in Rajkot.
Singh alleged that the firms availed of input tax credits using fake bills and documents, which resulted in a loss of Rs 61.3 lakh to the government.
While Langa has not been named in the FIR, it is alleged that he operated DA Enterprise. The firm is owned by Mahesh Langa’s cousin Manoj Langa. The journalist’s wife is a silent partner in the firm and has no rights to conduct transactions or access bank accounts, it is alleged.
Manoj Langa had earlier allegedly claimed that he was instructed by Mahesh Langa to carry out fraudulent transactions.
On October 30, a Gujarat court rejected Langa’s bail plea in the alleged Goods and Services Tax fraud case.
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