NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has stayed the proceedings relating to foreign currency registered against Hero Motocorp Chairman Pawan Kant Munjal by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
The high court, in an interim order of November 3, noted that Munjal has been exonerated by the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) on the same set of facts and this was not disclosed before the trial court and that the petitioner has been able to make out a case for interim protection.
The high court stayed the operation of July 1, 2023 order passed by an additional chief metropolitan magistrate here and all proceedings emanating therefrom pending before the ACMM qua (with respect to) the petitioner till February 21, 2024, the next date of hearing. The interim order was passed by the high court on November 3 on a petition by Munjal seeking to quash the complaint pending before ACMM and the July order passed by the trial court. The HC issued notice to DRI on the main petition and granted three weeks to file a reply.
The high court said perusal of the records reveal that the October 6, 2022 complaint is identical to the July 17, 2019 show-cause notice and the documents relied on are substantially identical. SEMPL has also drawn foreign exchange/ travel forex cards in huge amounts in the name of other employees who didn’t even travel abroad, it claimed.