NSE phone tapping: Delhi HC issues notice to ED on ex-Mumbai top cop's bail plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey, who was arrested in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to the phone tapping and snooping of the employees of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) between 2009 and 2017.

Hearing the matter, Justice Jasmeet Singh also issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a separate petition moved by Pandey seeking quashing of FIRs against him in offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust by a public servant, and cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), under various provisions of the Information Technology Act, Indian Telegraph Act, and Prevention of Corruption Act.

During the course of the hearing, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared on behalf of the petitioner.

The matter will be heard on September 16.

Pandey was knocking the doors of the high court challenging a trial court's August 4 order which denied him bail in the money laundering case.

The former top cop who was arrested on July 19 is currently undergoing judicial custody.

According to the CBI, "Pandey ran iSec Securities Pvt Ltd. It has been alleged that NSE's former CEO and MD Chitra Ramkrishna used this firm to tap the phones of NSE's employees. The phone calls made by NSE employees between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. were tapped and recorded by iSec Securities. It has been alleged that Pandey helped in tapping the phone calls illegally".

In the last hearing, Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, who represented the petitioner, argued that his client was in fact a 'whistleblower' at the NSE.

Opposing the bail plea, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju and Special Public Prosecutor N.K. Matta, appeared on behalf of the ED, pointed out that Pandey is an influential person.

Ramkrishna is already in the custody of ED in the same case on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI.

The case was lodged by the probe agency on the directions of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Earlier, the CBI had recorded Pandey's statement at CBI's Mumbai-based headquarters.

After questioning, he was allowed to leave.

The CBI had also conducted raids in Mumbai, Pune and in several other parts of the country in connection with the case.