CHANDIGARH: In a blow to two directors of the M3M group, a Panchkula special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases has rejected their request to pause proceedings in a money laundering case tied to former CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) judge Sudhir Parmar’s alleged corruption.
Judge Rajeev Goyal dismissed the plea by Basant Bansal and Pankaj Bansal on Monday, noting that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had completed its investigation. The directors had argued that the trial should be deferred until the ACB finalised its inquiry.
The ACB submitted in the court that while the investigation was complete, it awaited permission to file chargesheets.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) also opposed the stay request, leading the court to proceed with the trial. The case stems from corruption charges registered by the ACB in April 2023 against Parmar, M3M directors, and others.
Following these charges, the ED launched its own probe, resulting in the arrests of the Bansals, Parmar, and his nephew.
The ED has filed a chargesheet already to initiate trial proceedings. The ACB has sought authorization separately from the Punjab and Haryana high court to proceed with its chargesheet against Parmar and others. The court has set a new hearing date for another application filed by the Bansals.
