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NEW DELHI: The Delhi precocious court has granted bail to an activistic of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) successful a lawsuit of wealth laundering, rejecting the Enforcement Directorate's request to contradict bail. That the activist, Wahidur Rahman, participated successful protests by PFI and its governmental affiliate Social Democratic Party of India can't beryllium a crushed to contradict bail nether PMLA, the tribunal said.
It besides noted that ED could amusement lone a transaction of conscionable implicit Rs 3 lakh being probed portion it had claimed the magnitude was Rs 32 crore.Incarceration for an indeterminate play would spell against "fundamental principles governing idiosyncratic liberty", the tribunal said. It besides pointed retired that Rahman's relation successful the allegations appeared limited."As regards the allegation that the petitioner participated successful protests organised by PFI against the prohibition imposed connected that organisation, and that helium was allegedly progressive successful an incidental of throwing a petrol bomb...those
allegations, adjacent if taken astatine their look value, pertain to a play anterior to PFI being declared an 'unlawful association'," Justice Anup J Bhambhani said Friday.The tribunal added that information successful protestation activities successful that temporal context, nevertheless unseemly the signifier of protestation whitethorn beryllium alleged to person been, "cannot astatine this stage, beryllium treated arsenic a determinative origin for denying bail successful a PMLA prosecution, peculiarly erstwhile the superior absorption of the allegation is connected the fiscal transactions alleged to person been undertaken by the petitioner".
Examining the complaint of fiscal laundering, the tribunal noted that Rahman was not perceived, during the earlier phases of probe and prosecution complaints, arsenic occupying immoderate cardinal oregon commanding relation successful the affairs of PFI oregon SDPI.It noted that ED could lone amusement a transaction of astir Rs 3.2 lakh being probed for laundering. "Even if, for the contiguous purposes, these transactions are assumed to beryllium proved successful the mode alleged by ED, the proportionality of Rs 3.15 lakh vis-a-vis Rs 32.94 crore is truthful minuscule that this tribunal is of the presumption that the petitioner cannot, connected that ground alone, beryllium characterised arsenic a important oregon superior cause of the alleged money-laundering operations of PFI/SDPI," the justice said.The tribunal besides noted that Rahman has been successful jailhouse since March 20, 2025 portion the lawsuit is admittedly inactive pending astatine the signifier of arguments connected charge.
