Delhi court sends Sanjay Rai Sherpuriya to judicial custody in Lucknow jail

New Delhi : Delhi's Patiala House Court on Friday remanded Sanjay Prakash Rai 'Sherpuriya' to judicial custody in Lucknow jail in a money laundering case.
He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate from Lucknow Jail and has been in ED remand since June 2. Vacation judge Rajender Singh remanded Sanjay Rai Sherpuriya in judicial remand till June 30. He was produced after the expiry of his three days' remand granted to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Meanwhile, the court rejected the application seeking permission from two of his counsels to accompany him to Lucknow jail in view of the threat to the accused.
The court said the department would take care of the accused during transit.
However, the court directed the jail superintendent to decide on the application seeking proper care/medication to accused in jail within three days.
The accused will be produced before the court on June 16, the court directed.
On June 13, the ED sought an extension of remand for 3 more days on the ground that on June 12, 2023, during the remand of the accused 17 premises were searched including the office premises of the companies wherein the accused has a financial interest or where accused is the ultimate beneficial owner and recovered certain incriminating documents and digital records which are crucial for the purpose of investigation.
Advocate Naveen Kumar Matta Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) represented ED.
It was submitted that custodial interrogation of the accused is required with respect to the huge digital/ physical records, which have been seized during the searches conducted on June 12, 2023, by the Directorate under Section 17 of PMLA Act 2002.
On May 9, the agency sought an extension of remand for further investigation relating to money received from a Dalmia Family Office Trust as a donation and money generated from the sale of property in Gujarat, and to record statements of other persons.
SPP had submitted that the custody of the accused is required to examine and record statements of five more persons, to verify details of property sold in Gujarat, a jeweller of Chandni Chowk who has assisted in layering of the cash transactions.
SPP had also submitted that it is revealed in interrogation that cash of Rs 10 crores is involved in the matter. Earlier it was Rs six crores. He deposited the cash in a bank account through some people.
The court had granted seven days' remand of the accused to the ED on June 2. He was produced through video conferencing (VC) in the last hearing.
He was arrested by the ED after interrogation in Lucknow jail. Earlier he was arrested by the UP police.
In the order of June 2, the court had noted that it revealed in the FIR of UP police that the accused
portrayed himself to be close to top politicians, and ministers in India and allegedly took Rs 6 crores in the account of YREF as a donation from Dalmia Family Office Trust.
It was also submitted that the entry of the bank account has already been examined by the local police station and it is a matter of record that in the relevant account of that organization how much amount is lying deposited.
The Counsel for the accused submitted that there is no real necessity for ED for taking the accused into police remand.
The SPP for ED had submitted that since the investigation is open-ended and required to be conducted for the purpose of confronting even the Dalmia family trust is already involved in the other two matters of ED, therefore, the investigation is not confined only to the documents asserted in the examination in the investigation.
He further submitted that there is also evidence as mentioned in the application that Rs 7 crores in cash was recovered which were from unknown sources and were deposited in different accounts by the said accused to launder the money. (ANI)