Bombay HC restrains lower court from passing final order in ED plea against Mehul Choksi

MUMBAI: Bombay high court has in an interim order restrained special trial court in Mumbai from passing any final order in a plea by Enforcement Directorate (ED) to declare Mehul Choksi, an accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) multi-crore scam case, a fugitive economic offender (FEO) till February 3 while adjourning a petition by the accused diamantaire.


Choksi has approached the HC to challenge the ED’s plea pending in the lower court. His petition came up before a bench of Justice A M Badar on January 6 where ED counsel HS Venegaonkar sought time to file its reply to his contentions.

Choksi’s counsel Vijay Aggarwal contended that the case before the trial court is fixed for final argument and if interim relief is not granted then the application for a stay on the proceedings there will be rendered infructuous. He also argued that the ED has since the beginning been seeking adjournments and sufficient chances to file a reply has already been given.

Justice Badar adjourning the matter to February 3, directed that “in the meanwhile” the "lower court shall not pass final order in the matter".

Eralier, last December the HC had declined to stay proceedings launched by the ED before the special trial court against Choksi to declare him an FEO . Choksi is currently abroad, said ED counsel Venegaonkar.

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