ED seeks HC directions on Nirav’s Alibaug bungalow

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Bombay high court seeking directions with regards to its order to demolish illegal structures belonging to fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi.

The bungalow is part of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) proceedings by the special ED court and has been attached by the agency. The ED approached the HC after the subdivisional officer at Raigad approached the agency to de-attach the property, so that it can be razed as per the HC order.

According to ED’S advocate Neha Bhide, the agency had received a letter from the Raigad collector, seeking instructions about Nirav’s property in light of the HC order. Last year, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the court, stating that the bungalow violated coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms. The HC had then ordered the demolition of all such structures that violated CRZ norms, including Nirav’s bungalow at Alibaug.

In its civil application, ED informed HC that it was seeking to intervene in the PIL, as Nirav’s bungalow was a part of the PMLA case. It further said the collector’s letter had prompted ED to file the current application seeking directions from the HC on what should be done. The ED sought HC’S intervention because there is a PMLA proceeding against Nirav by the special ED court. Hence if the collector carries out demolition on January 14 as per the HC order, the PMLA proceedings would be affected.

However, the public prosecutor for the state, advocate Bhushan Kakade, informed HC that the demolition would not be carried on January 14. Following this, the bench of chief justice Naresh Patil and justice Nitin Jamdar refused to allow the application to be heard along with the compliance hearing in the PIL. It may now come up for hearing on January 21.