Delhi High Court Grants Bail to Gurupada Maji in West Bengal Mining Case
New Delhi, August 31: The Delhi High Court has granted regular bail to Gurupada Maji after two years in custody related to the West Bengal mining money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that the proceeds of crime amounted to over Rs 2742.32 crore.
Background
Gurupada Maji was previously released on bail by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court on November 23, 2021. Justice Jyoti Singh, after reviewing the facts and submissions, granted the bail, noting that the case was primarily based on documentary evidence, which had already been seized and was in the custody of investigating agencies.
Details of the Case
The ED’s case involves illegal coal mining and theft from Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL). An FIR was registered by the CBI, Kolkata, on November 27, 2020, against several individuals, including Anup Majee and Amit Kumar Dhar. The investigation revealed illegal excavation and pilferage of approximately 25,51,382.85 MT of coal worth Rs. 11,14,35,43,801.
Investigation and Arrest
Maji was arrested on May 27, 2022, and remanded to ED custody until June 2, 2022, after which he was sent to judicial custody. The ED claimed that Maji was one of the four partners in the illegal coal mining business, holding a 25% stake. Records seized by the Income Tax Department indicated that Maji received Rs 89.04 crores from the proceeds of crime.
Legal Proceedings
Maji’s bail application was filed by advocates Sumer Singh Boparai and Siddhant Saraswat, with senior advocate N Hariharan arguing that Maji had been in custody since June 2, 2022, and the investigation was progressing slowly. Justice Singh granted bail, requiring Maji to furnish a personal bond of Rs. 5,00,000 with two sureties of the same amount.
Conclusion
The court noted that the investigation concerning Maji was complete and there was no risk of tampering with evidence or intimidating witnesses. The trial, involving 64 witnesses and 174 documents, is expected to take years to conclude.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi, India, where important legal cases are decided.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is in jail is allowed to go home while they wait for their trial, but they have to promise to come back to court.
Gurupada Maji -: Gurupada Maji is a person who was involved in a case about illegal mining in West Bengal.
West Bengal -: West Bengal is a state in eastern India.
Mining -: Mining is the process of digging up valuable things like coal or gold from the ground.
Money laundering -: Money laundering is when people try to hide where money really came from, usually because it was earned in illegal ways.
Enforcement Directorate -: The Enforcement Directorate is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
Rs 2742.32 crore -: Rs 2742.32 crore is a very large amount of money in Indian currency, where 1 crore equals 10 million rupees.
Justice Jyoti Singh -: Justice Jyoti Singh is a judge in the Delhi High Court who made the decision to grant bail to Gurupada Maji.
Documentary evidence -: Documentary evidence means papers or documents that are used to prove something in a court case.
Personal bond -: A personal bond is a promise made by someone to the court that they will follow certain rules, like coming back for their trial.
Sureties -: Sureties are people who promise to pay money if the person who got bail does not follow the court’s rules.