Advocate Vrinda Grover told the apex court that the Special PMLA court in Ghaziabad has no jurisdiction in the matter as the offence allegedly took place in Navi Mumbai and contributions made to her were directly deposited in a bank account.
Rana Ayyub [file photo]
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved order on a petition of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad in an alleged money laundering case registered against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice J B Pardiwala was told by advocate Vrinda Grover that the Special PMLA court in Ghaziabad has no jurisdiction in the matter as the offence alleged against Rana Ayyub took place in Navi Mumbai and contributions made to her were directly deposited in a bank account.
Grover told the court that if the main offence is registered in Mumbai, all other matters arising from it can be dealt in Mumbai only.
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However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that any offence relating to money laundering that is traceable to the main offence can be registered elsewhere as well and hence there was no bar of jurisdiction on Ghaziabad Special PMLA court. Solicitor General alleged siphoning of money collected from the people for the personal use by Rana Ayyub.
The Solicitor General told the court that money laundering is not an independent offence and is linked with a scheduled offence.
Mehta said that several persons from Uttar Pradesh have donated to Ayyub’s campaign so a part of cause of action has arisen in Ghaziabad and Uttar Pradesh as well.
On January 25, the apex court had asked Ghaziabad court to adjourn the case as it decided to hear both the sides – Rana Ayyub and the ED – in the challenge to the summoning order by the Ghaziabad court.
Ghaziabad court had on November 29, 2022, issued summons to Ayyub and asked her to appear before it on January 27.
In October 2022, the ED had filed a complaint against her before the Ghaziabad court over alleged violations in publicly raising funds.
The ED had registered the case on the basis of a complaint registered in September 2021 in Ghaziabad under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Amendment Act and Black Money Act against Ayyub.
It was alleged in the FIR that she illegally acquired funds from the general public in the name of charity by launching fundraiser campaigns.
Ayyub received foreign contributions without registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), it was alleged.
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