Delhi High Court refuses to stay ED probe against The Quint founder Raghav Bahl

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to stay the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into a money laundering case against journalist and founder of online news portal The Quint, Raghav Bahl [Raghav Bahl v. Enforcement Directorate Ministry of Finance]..Bahl had filed a fresh application seeking a stay on the probe. The application was moved in Bahl’s earlier plea where he had demanded quashing of the case..However, Justice Jasmeet Singh refused to stay the probe and said that he would take up the petition as well as the application for final hearing on January 16.Justice Singh also gave the ED’s counsel a last opportunity to file a response to Bahl's petition..The ED case arose from action initiated by the Income Tax (IT) department against Bahl regarding non-disclosure of funds used for purchase of assets in London. The IT department had alleged irregularities in the income tax returns filed by Bahl filed for the year 2018-19.Based on the same, it had initiated action against Bahl under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act of 2015. This led to the money laundering case against Bahl by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)..During the hearing today, Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for ED, expressed a preliminary objection to the listing of the application as the same has already been dismissed by the High Court, and even the Supreme Court had refused to grant any relief to Bahl.However, advocate Abhimanyu Bhandari appeared for Bahl and argued that there was no adjudication on the relief sought. He further stated that the IT department has carried out an assessment and found not even a rupee of tax evasion.“I have not taken any money out. It is no one's case that even a penny of tax has not been paid...There is no generation of proceeds of crime,” he said.