NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Gujarat government and the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by a journalist from 'The Hindu' newspaper Mahesh Langa, arrested in a money laundering case.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the accused Langa, submitted before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi that in one FIR, he has got anticipatory bail. In the second FIR also, he secured anticipatory bail, but in the third FIR, they said, there was income tax evasion.
The bench, however, asked Sibal, what kind of a journalist he is
"With due respect, there are some very genuine journalists. But there are people on scooter saying we are 'patrakaar' (journalists) and what they do, everybody knows," the bench said.
On this, Sibal replied that these were all allegations.
The court issued notice and sought a response from the state government and the Enforcement Directorate on the petitioner's plea.
Langa, then a senior journalist in 'The Hindu' newspaper approached the apex court, after the Gujarat High Court had dismissed his regular bail plea in the money laundering case lodged in connection with the FIRs, which included the offence of cheating.
The money laundering case against the petitioner was registered after the FIRs were filed by the Ahmedabad Police on charges of committing fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating among other offences.
On February 25, the Enforcement Directorate said it arrested Langa in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged financial fraud.
He was first arrested in October 2024 in a GST fraud case.
On July 31, the Gujarat High Court rejected Langa’s bail plea in the money laundering case on the grounds that if released on bail, prejudice would be caused to the prosecution case.
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