Ratul Puri appeals HC against dismissal of his pre-arrest bail

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SME Times News Bureau | 13 Aug, 2019
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's nephew, the industrialist Ratul Puri on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the trial court order dismissing his anticipatory bail in a money laundering case relating to the AgustaWestland scam.

The matter was first mentioned before a division bench which listed the matter for hearing by Justice Mukta Gupta.

On hearing the matter, Justice Gupta then transferred it to Justice Sunil Gaur as another application relating to Puri had been mentioned before Justice Gaur.

Earlier on Friday, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Puri after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Puri was being non-cooperative.

The warrant was issued after the Special CBI Judge Arvind Kumar allowed the application filed by the ED seeking issuance of a non-bailable warrant against Puri.

The court, however, dismissed an impleadment application filed by Puri through his counsel Vijay Aggarwal.

During the hearing on Thursday, the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) D.P. Singh told the court that Puri is evasive and if he stays free there is a chance that more witnesses may turn hostile.

"He is evasive, there is flight risk and we have evidence that he is tampering with evidence and is influencing the witnesses," he said.

The court had last week dismissed Puri's anticipatory bail plea.

Puri, who was questioned in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case on July 26, had sought a break from the investigating officer, saying he needed to go to the washroom. But he slipped away, taking advantage of the situation, an agency official said.

As he did not return to join the investigation, agency officials tried to call him on his mobile phone, but it was found switched off.

Puri, however, has denied the allegations and said that he was granted a lunch break by the agency officials while he was being interrogated by them.

He is under the scanner of probe agencies for allegedly receiving kickbacks in the AgustaWestland deal through his companies.

The investigating agency has alleged that accounts associated with firms owned and operated by Puri were used to receive kickbacks and launder money in the AgustaWestland deal