On Monday, a Special Court in New Delhi granted bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar. The two were convicted in a money laundering case along with Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Yadav.
Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted bail to Misa Bharti and her husband after giving a personal bond of Rs. 2 lakhs each. The Judge also gave them strict guidelines to not leave the Country.
During the hearing, Enforcement Directorate Counsel Atul Tripathi opposed the bail plea. He explained the two accused has committed a very serious economic offense. The Court asked the probe agency if the couple were arrested during the case investigation. To this, the ED said no pushing the court to ask, “Why do you now want the court to take them in custody?”
The Court issued a summons against Bharti and her husband and Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt., Ltd., as accused in a money laundering case. The case is related to an alleged Rs. 8000 crore money laundering scam.
The ED attached a Delhi farmhouse to the charge sheet filled against Bharti in connection with the money laundering probe. This farmhouse is located at 26 Palam Farms in Bijwasan, South Delhi. The ED attached the farmhouse provisionally under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA.)
This property in actual belongs to Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar but is written in the name of Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited. The charge sheet filed by the ED states Rs. 1.2 crore from the 2008-09 money laundering scam was used to purchase this farmhouse.
The ED conducted many raids at the Palam Farm and other shell companies. This was done during the probe against two brothers Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain. These brothers were being investigated for allegations of laundering money through shell companies such as Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited. Under the PMLA, the ED arrested both the brothers last year.
The ED also found that Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar were former directors of Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited. This paved the way for an investigation into Yadav’s daughter and son in law. The charge sheet read, “The company, Ms Mishail Packers and Printers, was registered at the address 25, Tuglak Road, New Delhi till the shares were bought by Misa Bharti. It was only during the year 2009-10 that the address was changed to farm no 26 Palam Farms, VPO Bijwasan, New Delhi. Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar were the directors of the company during the relevant period.”
Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar were both questioned by the ED and their statements were recorded. The key people behind the Rs. 1.2 crore money laundering scam are the Jain Brothers, Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar.
