DIRECTORATE OF ENFORCEMENT Vs. VINOD BHANDARI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has preferred this revision being crestfallen by the order dtd. 13/6/2023 passed by Special Judge (PMLA), Indore in S.C./1924/2018, whereby the learned Special Court allowed the applications of applicants' for releasing of property in lieu of fixed deposit.

(2.) Succinctly, the facts of the case are that the Adjudicating Officer of Enforcement Department has attached the property of applicants amounting to the value of Rs.8,93,50,085.00 which is owned by the applicants. The applicant Dr. Manjushree Bhandari has filed an appeal against the order of Adjudicating Officer in Appellate Tribunal. In this regard, a Writ Petition No. 17581/2020 was also filed before the Division Bench of this Court. This writ petition was disposed of as withdrawn with liberty to pursue such remedies as available in law. Under these circumstances, the applicants had filed their applications for returning the properties mentioned in their applications in lieu of fixed deposit.

(3.) Learned Special Court (PMLA), Indore after considering the contents of applications and analyzing the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (hereinafter referred to as 'PMLA, 2002') ordained for releasing the properties in lieu of fixed deposit of Rs.7.02 crores. Being aggrieved by this impugned order, the present petitioner has been filed by the learned counsel for the Directorate of Enforcement Department.