New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response from the Enforcement Directorate on the plea of Amit Katyal, a close aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, seeking interim bail on medical grounds in an alleged money laundering case related to land-for-jobs. Is. Scam in Indian Railways.
The vacation bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan issued notice to the ED and asked it to file a status report in the case.
The court also asked the jail superintendent concerned to file a report along with Katyal's diet chart, and listed the matter for further hearing on June 7.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Katyal, said that the accused has undergone bariatric surgery and has lost 10 kg. Sibal said, he needs further treatment which is not available in Tihar jail where he is lodged.
The judge asked why Katyal approached the High Court for relief during the holidays when his surgery had already been done. His lawyer said he has now moved the high court as the trial court had recently rejected his bail plea.
Katyal was arrested by the ED on November 11, 2023, under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The investigating agency has alleged that Katyal, when he was Railway Minister in the UPA 1 government, had obtained land from several job aspirants on behalf of the RJD chief.
The ED has claimed that Katyal was the director of a company named AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, to which several candidates aspiring for Group D jobs in the Railways had sold their land at heavily discounted rates. These land parcels were then transferred to some of Prasad's family members, who are also accused in this case.
The vacation bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan issued notice to the ED and asked it to file a status report in the case.
The court also asked the jail superintendent concerned to file a report along with Katyal's diet chart, and listed the matter for further hearing on June 7.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Katyal, said that the accused has undergone bariatric surgery and has lost 10 kg. Sibal said, he needs further treatment which is not available in Tihar jail where he is lodged.
The judge asked why Katyal approached the High Court for relief during the holidays when his surgery had already been done. His lawyer said he has now moved the high court as the trial court had recently rejected his bail plea.
Katyal was arrested by the ED on November 11, 2023, under various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The investigating agency has alleged that Katyal, when he was Railway Minister in the UPA 1 government, had obtained land from several job aspirants on behalf of the RJD chief.
The ED has claimed that Katyal was the director of a company named AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, to which several candidates aspiring for Group D jobs in the Railways had sold their land at heavily discounted rates. These land parcels were then transferred to some of Prasad's family members, who are also accused in this case.
