In a significant development, IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan was granted bail by Special Judge CBI Bala Jyoti in a money laundering case on Wednesday.
Ranjan, accused number 2 in the case, had applied for bail through his counsel S.K. Bhat. During the hearing, the court perused the order dated April 27, 2024, passed in the complaint filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) through the Assistant Director of the Sub Zonal Office in Narwal, Jammu, under sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The court noted that Ranjan’s counsel, Ms. Surekha Bhat, had previously furnished an undertaking to produce the accused on the next date and furnish bail bonds and personal bonds. Adhering to the court’s directions, Ranjan appeared before the court on May 2, 2024, and furnished bail bonds and personal bonds amounting to Rs. 50,000.
The Special Judge accepted and attested the bail bonds and personal bonds, granting Ranjan bail. However, the accused was directed to remain present in court on the due date.
It is worth mentioning that Special Judge CBI Bala Jyoti had taken cognizance of the ED’s complaint against Ranjan and others on April 26, 2024, and directed all the accused to appear before the court.
The ED’s complaint, filed under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, alleges the commission of offenses under Section 3 and punishable under Section 4 of the Act. The complaint names IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan, Rahul Grover, Gajan Singh, Itrat Hussain Rafiqui, Tariq Athar Beigh, Zumurad Hussain Shah, Syed Adeel Hussain Shah alias Sayed Adeel Hussain Shah, Syed Akeel Shah, Abdi Hussain Shah, Madan Mohan Bhargav, Mukesh Bhargav, Devi Dayal Khajuria, Kumar Jyoti Ranjan, Kripa Shankar Roy, Gaganpreet Singh, Hunney Preet Singh, Razia Rafiqi, and Syed Atiq Ur Reham Nazki alias Dr. Atiqualla as accused.
After carefully perusing the complaint and material on record, the court observed that prima facie, the accused persons appeared to have committed offenses and issued notices for their appearance and filing their replies on the next date of hearing. The case has gained significant attention, and further developments are awaited as the legal proceedings continue.
