ED moves HC against PMLA tribunal's order on Naik

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday issued a notice to religious preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation following a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate over proceedings related to attachment of properties belonging to him and his organisation.

The ED, through its counsel advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, has filed a plea in the high court, challenging among other things, a last year's order of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi.

In its order, the Tribunal had stayed all attachment proceedings initiated by the ED against Naik and IRF until the central agency filed its reply, and submitted a copy of the NIA's charge sheet filed against Naik in a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), and also a copy of such speeches made by him that the probe agencies had alleged were "objectionable."

Venegaonkar, however, argued before a bench of Justices Indrajit Mahanty and Sarang Kotwal that in asking for such documents, the Tribunal was "exceeding its jurisdiction" since the proceedings before it were related merely to the provisional attachment of properties under the PMLA, and not to the detailed probe in the case being carried out by the NIA under the UAPA.

Venegaonkar told the bench that the next hearing before the Tribunal was in June-July this year and that the ED would file its reply before the hearing.

However, the Tribunal must not insist upon the above documents, he told court.