GhaziabadOne hour ago
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Money laundering case is going on in Ghaziabad court against journalist Rana Ayyub.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to stay the summons issued by the Ghaziabad court to journalist Rana Ayyub in the PMLA case. However, the Supreme Court has given relief to Ayub for the time being. Instead of ordering the Ghaziabad court, the SC has requested not to hear the summons on January 27.
Journalist Rana Ayyub has a money laundering case registered against him. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a charge sheet against him in the PMLA court of Ghaziabad. Taking cognizance of the charge sheet, the court issued summons to Rana Ayyub and ordered him to appear on January 27. Rana Ayyub’s advocate Vrinda Grover challenged this summons in the Supreme Court, which was heard on Wednesday.
A bench headed by Justice Krishna Murari said that it will hear the matter on January 31. The court asked the petitioner that how can the case be heard here under Article-32 in this matter? Advocate Vrinda Grover said that the summons issued by the Ghaziabad court is against the PMLA decision.
The court asked the petitioner whether the High Court does not have the power to do so? Even the High Court can consider this. To this, Grover said that it is part of the record that the juridiction in this matter is not of Ghaziabad but of Bombay court. The advocate said that if we challenge the summons in the High Court, then its hearing will take time. After this, the Supreme Court, while not issuing orders, urged the Ghaziabad court not to hear the matter on January 27.
FIR was registered in Indirapuram police station
Vikas Sankrityayan, the founder of ‘Hindu IT Cell’, had filed a money laundering case against Rana Ayub at Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad last year. The ED investigated the case and filed the charge sheet in the Ghaziabad court recently.
Allegation- 2.69 crore funds came, spent only 29 lakh rupees
ED has said in the charge sheet that Rana Ayyub had started three campaigns on the online crowdfunding platform Catto. Through these, funds were raised for slum dwellers and farmers between April-May 2020, for relief work in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra between June-September 2020 and for Corona-affected people in May-June 2021.
Rana Ayyub received a donation of Rs 2.69 crore, out of which Rs 80.49 lakh came in foreign currency. After this, the Income Tax Department started an investigation against Rana Ayyub for violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), after which Ayyub returned the foreign donation.
According to the ED, the funds raised on the online platform first came into the accounts of Ayub’s father and sister and from there were transferred to Ayub’s personal account. Out of this, Ayyub opened a fixed account for himself by taking Rs 50 lakh, while transferred Rs 50 lakh to another bank account. Only Rs 29 lakh was used for relief work.
Ghaziabad court has issued summons to Rana Ayub for hearing on ED’s charge sheet. To get relief from this, Rana Ayub has approached the Supreme Court, which is now to be heard on January 25.