In a significant development, Lalit Goyal, a prominent individual associated with the IREO Group, has been apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his involvement in the judge bribery scandal. The ED is scheduled to present Goyal before the Panchkula court on Wednesday. Both the ED and the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have been actively investigating allegations of bribery involving judicial officials. The ACB’s First Information Report (FIR) filed on April 17 highlights the alleged preferential treatment extended to Lalit Goyal of the IREO Group and the promoters of M3M by Sudhir Parmar, a judge associated with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED. Consequently, the ED initiated Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) No. 17 on June 13, targeting the judge, his nephew Ajay Parmar, Roop Bansal (one of the promoters of M3M), and others implicated in the case.

The ongoing investigation has already led to the arrest of Basant Bansal, who has served as a Director in M3M India Holdings Private Ltd since 2012, Pankaj Bansal, a Director in M3M India Private Limited from 2011 to April 1, 2023, and Ajay Parmar. Presently, these individuals are in judicial custody. Sudhir Parmar assumed his role as a CBI/ED judge in Panchkula on November 18, 2021, whereas Lalit Goyal, the former Managing Director of the IREO Group, was arrested by the ED on November 16, 2021.

ED actions

Moreover, on January 14, 2021, the ED filed a prosecution complaint against Goyal for alleged misappropriation of homebuyers’ investments. Subsequently, on January 21, 2022, the ED court officially acknowledged the complaint. The ED contends that despite a significant period of 1.5 years, Sudhir Parmar, in his capacity as a judge, did not proceed with framing charges against Goyal. In one of its submissions before a Panchkula court, the ED expressed frustration, citing multiple instances where the case had been listed but postponed due to pending applications from the accused parties involved.

According to WhatsApp chat screenshots provided to the ACB by an undisclosed source, Judge Sudhir Parmar purportedly demanded a bribe ranging from Rs 5 to 7 crore in exchange for facilitating favorable outcomes for the M3M owners. The FIR alleges that the accused parties in the IREO case paid Parmar Rs 5 crore. Furthermore, a recorded phone conversation implicates Parmar, suggesting that he had met with Lalit Goyal’s wife and brother-in-law, Sudhanshu Mittal, and allegedly assured them of his support.

Source: The Tribune