The Delhi High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Amrit Pal Singh, a Hong Kong-based Indian businessman, in a high-value money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), citing his evasive conduct and the need for custodial interrogation.
Justice Ravinder Dudeja, in an order dated July 1, rejected Singh’s plea, observing that premature grant of bail would obstruct the ongoing investigation and defeat the legislative intent behind the stringent anti-money laundering framework.
Singh, the director of Broway Group Ltd, is alleged to have been the beneficiary of fraudulent foreign outward remittances totalling USD 2.88 million (approximately ₹20.75 crore), sent from Indian shell companies under the pretext of import transactions. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that these transactions had no genuine business purpose and were orchestrated to launder money abroad.
The court emphasised that custodial interrogation might be essential to unravel Singh’s role in facilitating or profiting from the alleged laundering scheme. “Premature grant of bail would impede investigation and compromise the statutory objectives of the PMLA,” the court said.
Crucially, the judge took note of Singh’s consistent non-cooperation during the probe. Despite receiving multiple summons, Singh failed to appear before the ED and provided what the court described as “untenable pretexts” for avoiding investigation. “His non-appearance in response to summons and evasion of investigation reflect a lack of bona fides and do not inspire confidence in his willingness to cooperate with the authorities,” the order stated.
The court also highlighted that criminal proceedings against the company remain at a preliminary stage, reinforcing the necessity of allowing the investigation to proceed unimpeded.
