PNB scam: SC to hear plea seeking SIT probe today

New Delhi, February 20 

The SC will hear a plea seeking an SIT probe and jeweller Nirav Modi’s deportation in the over Rs 11,000 crore PNB fraud case on Wednesday. 

A Bench comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud today considered lawyer JP Dhanda’s submission that the scam was of enormous magnitude and the plea be listed for urgent hearing.

“On mentioning, the matter is taken on board. List the matter on February 21 before the appropriate Bench as per the roster,” the court said.

The PIL, filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda, has made PNB, RBI and the ministries of finance and law and justice parties. It has sought a direction for the initiation of deportation proceedings of Nirav Modi and others allegedly involved in the banking fraud, preferably within two months.

“Issue an apt writ, order or direction directing the Finance Ministry and the RBI to frame guidelines in granting loan of Rs 10 crore and above to ensure safety and recovery of such loans,” the PIL said. —PTI

ED probing 120 firms linked to Modi, Choksi 

• The Enforcement Directorate is probing 120 shell companies allegedly linked to jewellery designer Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Group chief Mehul Choksi even as Income Tax officials claimed to have found two companies linked to Modi that had received Rs 555 crore from companies in Cyprus, Mauritius and Singapore between 2013 and 2014
• “The agency is investigating 79 shell companies owned by Gitanjali Group chief and 41 companies owned by Modi in India,” an ED official said on condition of anonymity

Police custody for PNB officials 

• A special CBI court on Tuesday remanded three officials of Punjab National Bank in police custody till March 3
• The accused are: Bechhu Tiwari, the then chief manager in the ‘forex’ department of the bank’s Brady House branch in the city; Yashwant Joshi, scale II manager in the ‘forex’ department; and Praful Sawant, scale-I officer handling ‘exports’