A Delhi court on Tuesday dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by Ratul Puri, the nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in connection with a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam. Puri, the chairperson of Hindustan Powerprojects Pvt Ltd, had filed the plea on July 27, PTI reported.
Puri had earlier withdrawn his petition in the Delhi High Court, in which he had sought a direction to the trial court not to pronounce order on his anticipatory bail plea before hearing his other applications. The trial court had on July 30 extended the interim protection from arrest provided to Puri by a day.
During proceedings last month, the Enforcement Directorate had told Special Judge Arvind Kumar that Puri had received money transacted during the scam. The agency also told the court that Puri had given investigators the slip after asking for a break to use the washroom. Officials tried to contact him on his mobile phone but it was switched off. The directorate wants Puri to appear for interrogation again.
However, Puri’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged political vendetta, and said the directorate wanted to arrest his client as two Bharatiya Janata party lawmakers had joined the ruling Congress in the state a few days ago.
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