CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Vs. ARVINDERJEET KAUR PURI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has invoked the inherent jurisdiction of this Court under Sec. 482 of the Cr.P.C. for quashing of order dtd. 24/12/2021 (Annexure P-1) in FIR No.RC2172021A0004 of CBI, ACII, New Delhi whereby the learned Special Judge (CBI), Haryana at Panchkula has allowed the application dtd. 25/11/2021 moved by the respondent for de-freezing of her bank accounts.

(2.) Learned counsel for the petitioner-CBI submits that the Court below had erroneously allowed the application filed by the respondent for release of her bank account.

(3.) It has been vehemently submitted that a reasonable suspicion exists that the proceeds from the ill-gotten wealth/criminal activities acquired by the prime accused Harjeet Singh Puri, spouse of the respondent were deposited in various bank accounts held by close relatives, including the respondent. Consequently, there may exist a potential nexus between this money trail and the bank account of the respondent which would have been possibly used for the purpose of purchasing properties, paying insurance premium, among other transactions. Additionally, it has also been asserted that substantial evidence had been collected by the CBI against the respondent which led to her being named as an accused through the supplementary charge sheet. It has been furthermore contended that though the bank accounts of the respondent were not explicitly included in the charge sheet, however, the CBI had already gathered information regarding disproportionate assets of the accused including the respondent for which an FIR had also been lodged against the respondent, thus warranting her bank accounts to be maintained as they existed on 13/7/2021. It has still further been thus prayed that since the respondent is facing three other FIRs including the instant FIR, the maintaining her bank accounts as existed on 13/7/2021 is necessitated on account of pending investigations in those cases. A prayer has been made that an unconditional release of the bank account of the respondent be not permitted and instead she be ordered to maintain the account balance in her bank account as it stood on 13/7/2021.