Ranchi: In the ongoing proceedings of a money laundering case linked to the manipulation of a PIL, a crucial hearing took place in the special court of Ranchi PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act). During Monday’s session, ED witness Vishnu Aggarwal provided testimony in the court, recorded by ED’s special public prosecutor Shiv Kumar alias Kaka ji. Aggarwal revealed that he had arranged flight tickets for High Court advocate Rajeev Kumar to travel to Kolkata, doing so on two separate occasions.
On July 31, 2022, Rajeev Kumar, a prominent advocate of Jharkhand High Court, was arrested in Kolkata. The arrest followed allegations by businessman Amit Aggarwal, who claimed that the advocate had initially demanded Rs 10 crore in exchange for relief in a PIL filed against him in the Jharkhand High Court. The final agreement settled for Rs 1 crore. Rajiv Kumar was apprehended during his visit to Kolkata to collect the first installment of Rs 50 lakh. The arrest was made based on a complaint lodged at Hare Street police station. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered case number ECIR-05/2022 in connection with managing the PIL, with Kolkata businessman Amit Aggarwal also implicated in the case.
Following Vishnu Aggarwal’s testimony, the court has scheduled January 23 for the cross-examination of the witness from the defense side.