IREO case: Judge sent to 6-day Enforcement Directorate custody

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, August 11

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today told a Panchkula court that suspended judge Sudhir Parmar was bribed with over Rs 5 crore to influence him in a money-laundering case involving the IREO and M3M groups. Parmar was arrested on August 10 after a go-ahead from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 20.

The Panchkula court today granted ED his custody for six days. No money has been recovered from him so far.

The ED today submitted before the court that Sudhir Parmar abused his position to get his nephew, Ajay Parmar, a job in M3M, at a salary of Rs 12 lakh per annum. The salary was raised to Rs 18-20 lakh when Sudhir Parmar got posted as a CBI/ED judge in Panchkula.

The ED also submitted a challan in the case against Basant Bansal and Pankaj Bansal, owners of M3M; Lalit Goyal, MD of IREO; and Ajay Parmar, Paramveer Singh and Pushpa Devi — relatives of the judge — and Rohit Tomar, owner of R Sai Transport Company. The ED alleged a plot and agricultural land were bought in the name of Parmar’s relatives in Gurugram. The payments were allegedly made to take benefits from the judge regarding a money-laundering case against IREO and M3M groups pending before the judge.

The ED submitted that his relative Ajay Parmar got Rs 40 lakh from R Sai Transport and transferred Rs 41 lakh to his mother Pushpa Devi’s account. His brother Paramveer received Rs 36 lakh from the same firm and transferred Rs 39.45 lakh to Pushpa. She herself received Rs 54 lakh from the firm and used the money to buy a plot of land at Vatika Signature, Sector 82, Gurugram.

Rohit Tomar told the ED that the sum was, in fact, a loan to the family. However, he admitted that no loan agreement was signed, no interest was charged or paid, no repayment started and no collateral or security taken. Phone chats between Tomar and the judge reflected that they were in regular touch, and the judge even shared his brother’s bank account number with him.

The plot in Gurugram was registered for Rs 1.8 crore, but its actual market value was over Rs 4 crore. Another agricultural plot was purchased by three persons — including Tomar and Ajay — for Rs 1 crore. Ajay’s share in the land was 20 per cent, but he paid only Rs 6 lakh, while Tomar paid Rs 14 lakh. The market value of the land is Rs 5 crore, according to which Ajay’s share in the payment should have been Rs 1 crore.

During interrogation, Sudhir Parmar admitted talking with Roop Bansal, founder-promoter of M3M group, on FaceTime on Ajay’s mobile phone, and meeting Bansal at his nephew’s house on the death of his brother in September 2022. The ED claimed that the judge destroyed evidence relating to cash payments for purchasing properties that were of higher market value. Sudhir Parmar was also in touch with Anil Bhalla, director of Vatika Group, who is facing ED investigation for money laundering.

Judge’s response to Ed submitted in court

• “Yes, I have talked to Roop Bansal through mobile phone of Ajay Parmar and he just greeted me.”
• “Yes, I know the promoter of Vatika Group. His name is Mr Anil Bhalla.”
• “No, I never participated/negotiated in deciding the mode of payment related terms with Vatika Group.”