Mehbooba challenges ED summons in Delhi HC

New Delhi, March 9

J&K former CM Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the summon issued to her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for March 15 in a money laundering case.

The 61-year-old PDP leader, who was released last year after more than a year in detention following the scrapping of J&K’s special status, has been served notice to appear at the ED headquarters in the national capital. The petition is likely to be listed for hearing on Wednesday before a Bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel. Besides, she has also sought to declare Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act as void and inoperative, being unfairly discriminatory, bereft of safeguards, and violative of Article 20(3) of the Constitution.

Section 50 of the Act gives powers to authorities regarding summons, production of documents and to give evidence. Mufti has also sought an interim stay on the summons until the question of law in relation to constitutionality of Section 50 of the Act is decided. “She has not been informed if she is being summoned as an accused or as a witness. She has also not been informed of what she is being summoned in connection with and the scheduled offence under the PMLA which gave rise to the proceedings in respect of which impugned summons has been issued to her. The petitioner is not the subject of investigation, nor is she an accused, in any of the scheduled offences to the best of her knowledge,” the plea said. — PTI