The Supreme Court has directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to trace and secure absconding Mahadev betting app co-founder Ravi Uppal, who has reportedly fled from Dubai to an undisclosed location. The court observed that white-collar crime accused cannot be allowed to treat courts and investigative agencies as “instruments to play around with.”
A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma expressed deep concern over Uppal’s evasion of law, remarking, “This shocks our conscience and the court has to do something about it.”
The bench noted that Uppal, who was earlier detained in Dubai in December 2023 under an Interpol red notice, has now escaped to an unknown destination, compelling UAE authorities to close his extradition proceedings.
“For kingpins like him, the courts and investigating agencies are mere instruments to play around with. We have to do something about it,” the bench said, directing the ED to take immediate steps to locate and secure him.
“We will dismiss his petition. Find out how to secure him. He seems to be quite resourceful flying from one place to the other,” the court added.
The court was hearing Uppal’s petition challenging the March 22 order of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had directed him to appear before a Raipur trial court in the money laundering case linked to the Mahadev betting app.
Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju told the bench that Uppal had absconded from Dubai, where he was under surveillance after being released by UAE authorities.
Raju submitted that financial crime accused often flee to jurisdictions where India has no extradition treaty. “He may have gone to locations like the British Virgin Islands as India does not have an extradition treaty with that country,” he said.
The court has fixed the next hearing for November 14, granting limited time to Uppal’s counsel to communicate with his client. Justice Sundresh urged the lawyer to convince Uppal to return and face proceedings, observing, “He cannot keep running all the time. He has to participate in this process. In matters of granting bail, we are liberal. We will consider his bail application at the appropriate stage.”
The bench also asked the ED to explore whether its recent ruling—permitting probe agencies to summon lawyers under exceptional circumstances—could be applied to trace absconding accused. The court warned that no further adjournments would be allowed.
Ravi Uppal and his associate Sourabh Chandrakar founded the Mahadev Online Book in 2018, a betting platform enabling users to place illegal wagers through multiple linked applications. Investigating agencies estimate the scam to be worth over ₹6,000 crore, spanning several Indian states.
Uppal’s co-founder Chandrakar was arrested in Dubai in October 2024, and India’s extradition request in his case remains pending. The probe, initially launched by the Chhattisgarh Police, was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after former state chief minister Bhupesh Baghel was named in the investigation.
