Actor and businessman Sachiin Joshi, accused in a money laundering case on Tuesday, cited a recent apex court ruling as an additional ground to seek discharge in the case and sought parity with the main accused Omkar Group promoters, Babulal Varma and Kamalkishore Gupta, who had already got the relief based on the ruling.
He also urged a special court for an expeditious hearing of his discharge plea. The court had not only released Varma and Gupta from judicial custody based on the apex court ruling but also discharged them from the case subsequently. In a ruling at the end of July, the apex court had held that if the scheduled offence in a case does not exist, the offence of money laundering registered based on the offence does not stand. In the case of Varma and Gupta, the main case had been closed and hence they had sought release from custody and a discharge and had secured both.
Joshi has been out on bail. His advocate, Abad Ponda, on Tuesday told the court that he seeks discharge on parity with the duo and that his plea be heard expeditiously as it has been pending since a long time. To this, the ED prosecutor told the court that the agency intends to challenge the order and that the hearing of Joshi’s plea be adjourned till the matter is decided. To this, Joshi’s advocate informed the court that the order has not yet been challenged.
Joshi’s advocate, Ponda, told the court that the actor is facing tremendous difficulties due to the case, and there is also a Look Out Circular (LOC) pending against him. He submitted that he was unable to meet his daughter, who studies abroad, as the court had rejected his plea to travel abroad.
Special judge MG Deshpande under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) noted that there is substance in the submission and that it is a fact, that while Joshi’s plea is still pending, that of the two co-accused who filed their pleas later, was decided. The court ruled that his plea could not be postponed for an indefinite period of time, as requested by the ED, and set the case for a day-to-day hearing.
