200 Cr Money Laundering Case: Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s Judicial Custody Extended Till March 31

Extending Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s judicial custody, Patiala House Court refused to hear his petition seeking the transfer of the case to another judge. He accused the judge of being biased.

File photo of Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar being produced at Patiala House court

Source : PTI

Conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar appeared before Delhi’s Patiala House Court in connection with a money laundering case of Rs 200 crore.  The court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of Sukesh Chandrasekhar till March 31.

The court also refused to hear Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s petition seeking the transfer of the case to another judge. As per news agency ANI, he accused the judge of being biased in the petition.

Patiala House Court refused to hear his plea expressing its displeasure over the filing of the petition.

The court stated that the accused does not have the right to comment on the presiding officer, ANI reported.

Earlier, the conman challenged the order framing charges against him in a money laundering case related to the Election Commission bribery case of 2017. The main case has been stayed by the Delhi High Court.

As per ANI, advocate Anant Malik appearing for Sukesh contended that in view of the stay on the main case (scheduled case), the trial court could not have framed charges of money laundering under the PMLA.

He further said that the scheduled offence is the base on which the money laundering case is based. “When it goes, everything goes,” he said.

The counsel for the ED, on the other hand, submitted that if the arguments of the petitioner were accepted, it would have wide ramifications. The central agency submitted that except in cases where an accused is acquitted or discharged, any protection in the scheduled offence does not have any impact on the money laundering offences.

The lawyer also mentioned that there was a proceed of crime and it was used by the accused in buying cars and paying bills.

This ED case is based on a Delhi Police case against Sukesh for allegedly taking money from Former AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran.

The conman allegedly took the money to bribe the Election Commission officials in order to get the two leaves symbol for the V K Sasikala faction in a by-election on the RK Nagar assembly seat in Tamil Nadu. The Delhi High Court stayed the main bribery case in 2019.