The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a plea filed by businessman Shravan Gupta, a key accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, seeking the quashing of a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued against him in a money laundering probe conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna heard the arguments and reserved judgment on the matter, declining Gupta’s counsel’s request for further adjournment. Gupta, the former managing director of Emaar MGF Land Ltd and director of MGF Developments, is alleged to have fled to London in 2019 after being summoned for questioning in the case.
The NBW in question was issued by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in August 2020. Subsequently, an Interpol Red Notice was issued against Gupta in August 2023. The ED filed a supplementary chargesheet against him in February 2022, naming him an accused in the ₹3,600 crore AgustaWestland scam and attaching assets worth ₹21 crore in connection with two ongoing money laundering investigations. One of the cases involves over ₹180 crore.
Gupta’s legal team informed the court that he is willing to participate in the probe through video conferencing due to certain medical constraints preventing his travel to India. They have also filed a separate application seeking permission for virtual participation. However, the court took note of repeated adjournment requests by Gupta’s counsel, calling such conduct inappropriate.
Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, appearing for Gupta, argued that virtual participation in an investigation is legally permissible and should be allowed in light of Gupta’s health issues.
The ED, however, has maintained that Gupta played a central role in laundering kickbacks received in the chopper deal. According to the agency, Gupta controlled offshore entities that received proceeds of crime amounting to over ₹28.69 crore, allegedly routed through Euro and USD transactions. The funds were reportedly linked to middleman Guido Haschke and lawyer Gautam Khaitan—both accused in the case—whom Gupta is said to have met during his tenure at Emaar MGF.
The ED further alleged that Gupta facilitated the creation of offshore corporate structures to launder illicit payments received as kickbacks from the AgustaWestland deal for the supply of 12 AW-101 helicopters to the Indian Air Force. The contract was eventually cancelled by the Indian government in January 2014 following allegations of corruption and a breach of contractual obligations.
