SC orders release of M3M directors in PMLA case relating to bribing of special judge

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed immediate release of the directors of Gurugram-based realty company M3M Group, Pankaj Bansal and Basant Bansal, who were behind the bars in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to the alleged bribing of a CBI/ED judge.

A bench of Justices A.S. Bopanna and Sanjay Kumar, which had reserved the verdict on September 11, quashed and set aside the arrest and remand order against the Bansal brothers.

In its judgement, the bench emphasized that the action of the anti-money laundering agency should be fair and stringent in accordance with the procedural law.

On August 11, the top court had agreed to examine the special leave petition filed by the directors of the realty firm and issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and others on their plea. 

Bansals had moved the Supreme Court after the Punjab & Haryana High Court in July denied bail to them. They were arrested in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act case pertaining to the alleged bribing of a former CBI/ED judge. 

According to the FIR filed by the Haryana Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), reliable information was received that Sudhir Parmar, the then Special Judge in Panchkula, showed favouritism to Roop Kumar Bansal, Basant Bansal, and IREO Group owner Lalit Goyal, in the criminal cases filed by the ED under the PMLA and other cases of the CBI pending against the aforementioned accused individuals in his court in exchange for undue advantage. 

It was alleged that the judge received undue benefits through his relative Ajay Parmar. Subsequently, Ajay Parmar and the suspended special judge were also arrested.