On Friday the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed Rana Ayyub‘s petition that sought to quash the ED’s Lookout Circular and its decision to stop her from flying abroad. It stated that the charges of money laundering against the journalist were serious.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju who appeared for the ED, opposed Ayyub’s petition and said that she was involved in a serious offense of misappropriation of funds.
Raju said, “She received the money in dollars along with Indian rupees for charity and to help the poor and migrants during the COVID-19 period. We have found that the money for relief work has been siphoned off and fake bills have been submitted by her.”
AS per ANI, the Bench of Justice Chander Dhari Singh sought a status report on Friday and listed the matter for hearing on April 4, 2022.
Advocate Vrinda Grover, who was appearing for Ayyub submitted that “all money in her bank accounts have been seized. The mala fide is writ large. After February 1, there is no summoning by ED and no communication from their side. The ED’s action is nothing but a sham because my client is a critic of the government.”
Notably, Ayyub moved the Delhi High Court on Thursday challenging the ED’s decision to stop her from flying out of the country. She further sought directions from the Court to enable her to fly abroad and to quash a lookout circular issued against her.
Her plea stated that on March 29, 2022, the petitioner arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to board an Air India flight to London, Heathrow, scheduled to depart at 14:25 hours, to attend events about the global problem of cyber attacks on women journalists, as well as to deliver a keynote speech on the status of journalism in India.