The Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot act as “super investigator” and not share records with the court, Delhi high court observed on Monday, while hearing pleas filed by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others in connection with a money-laundering case.
“If you do not want to share anything with the court, then there is something amiss. You cannot act as if you are a super investigator. I will issue notice and you can file reply to all issues raised in the plea. I will satisfy my conscience to the hilt. It is reluctance when you advance procedural arguments,” Justice Manmohan said, after which the ED said it would place the records before the court.
“When will you bring it?” the court asked, to which the ED said records would be placed before it in a week and the judge listed the matter for further hearing on May 31.
The court was hearing arguments on the pleas filed by Virbhadra and others, in which they have sought the “reasons to believe” based on which search and seizure of documents were carried out at their premises by the agency.
The court during the initial part of arguments told the petitioners, including Virbhadra, that “reasons to believe cannot be disclosed to assessee” as it would lead to disclosure of the line of probe and the sources.