DARSH MINERALS PVT. LTD. Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition has been filed invoking writ as well as supervisory jurisdiction of this Court under Articles 226 read with 227 of the Constitution of India essentially assailing freezing of the account of the petitioner-company on 8/3/2025 during a raid conducted by the officers of the Enforcement Directorate at the residence of Mohit Goyal, one of the Directors of the petitioner-company, who is alleged to have been paid approximately Rs.45.52 crores as part of sale proceeds of mining material extracted illegally from the mining site situated at village Ratewala, District Panchkula, owned and operated by M/s Tirupati Roadways (proprietor Shri Gurpreet Singh Sabharwal), against which an FIR No. 9 dtd. 25/8/2022 was registered by State Vigilance Bureau, Panchkula, Haryana, under Ss. 379, 414, 420 of the Indian Penal Code read with Ss. 4 and 21 of Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957 and under Sec. 13(1)(a) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

(2.) Learned counsel for the rival parties are heard on the question of admission so also final disposal.

(3.) Learned senior counsel for the petitioner has restricted the challenge to aforesaid freezing of account to the ground of absence of any order passed by the officer authorized under Sec. 17(1-A) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (for brevity 'PMLA').