The Delhi High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Amrit Pal Singh, a Hong Kong-based Indian businessman, observing that early relief in a money laundering case would obstruct the investigation and defeat the objectives of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Justice Ravinder Dudeja, in a detailed order, emphasized that custodial interrogation may be essential to uncover the applicant’s role in the alleged laundering of nearly ₹20.75 crore, routed through fraudulent foreign remittances under the guise of imports.
Singh, a director of Broway Group Ltd, is accused by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of being the beneficiary of outward remittances totaling USD 2.88 million. These funds allegedly originated from Indian shell companies and were sent abroad without any genuine underlying trade transactions.
“Premature grant of bail would impede investigation and compromise the statutory objectives of the PMLA,” the court observed, while underscoring the significance of cooperation during probes into complex financial crimes.
The court also took note of Singh’s consistent failure to appear before the authorities despite receiving multiple summons. “His non-appearance and evasion of investigation reflect a lack of bona fides… He failed to appear on untenable pretexts despite not denying receipt of summons,” the court said.
The judge further noted that the criminal proceedings against the accused company are still at a preliminary stage and granting protection at this point would be premature and detrimental to the ongoing investigation.
