The Delhi high court has dismissed UK-based arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari's petition against a trial court's order declaring him a fugitive economic offender (FEO). The court ruled that the FEO tag was another way of coercing Bhandari to come back to India by attachment and confiscation of his properties.
Bhandari had challenged the trial court's order, stating that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lacked material evidence at the time of initiating the proceedings. However, the ED's lawyers opposed the petition, stating that the agency possessed sufficient evidence indicating tax evasion of over ₹100 crore by Bhandari.
The court had ruled that the final assessment order confirming such tax evasion was not a prerequisite for initiating proceedings to declare an individual a fugitive. Bhandari is under investigation by multiple agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the IT department, and Delhi Police, for money laundering, violation of foreign exchange, and black money laws.
The Delhi high court's decision allows the ED to confiscate Bhandari's properties anywhere in the world and bar him from filing or defending any civil proceedings in India.
