Why pleas for quashing money laundering FIR against Bhandari, Vadra not be heard together, asks Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday sought to know as to why the separate pleas of arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and Robert Vadra, seeking quashing of a money laundering case against them, not be heard together.

Presently, Bhandari and his wife's petition for quashing of the ED case is being heard by a single judge, while Vadra and his close aide Manoj Arora's pleas are pending before a division bench of the high court.

Justice Mukta Gupta, who was hearing Bhandari's plea, said when these are connected matters, propriety demands that they should be heard together by the division bench.

"They are in the same ECIR. When these matters are connected, propriety and judicial principle demands that these pleas should go to the division bench," the court said.

The court was hearing an application by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that Bhandari's plea seeking quashing of the money laundering case be transferred to the bench which is hearing Vadra's petition in the same matter.

The plea was opposed by senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, who was representing Bhandari, saying it should be heard by the single judge as Vadra has challenged the vires of the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) but Bhandari has not done so.

The counsel said Bhandari's matter need not be transferred to the division bench and added that he would address the court in detail on this issue.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on August 23. Vadra and Arora have sought quashing of the money laundering case against them besides challenging the Constitutionality of PMLA.

Bhandari and his wife Sonia Bhandari have moved separate pleas seeking quashing of the money laundering case lodged against them by ED in February 2017.

Bhandari, who is also an accused in a 2016 case under the Official Secrets Act relating to the recovery of confidential documents of the Ministry of Defence from his residence during an Income Tax raid in 2016, was declared a proclaimed offender by a trial court here in January last year.

He is also facing prosecution under provisions of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

During the probe, ED had found that he allegedly helped Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in purchasing a property in the United Kingdom.

ED has lodged a money laundering case against Vadra and Arora accusing them of acquiring the London property in an illegal manner.