HC refuses to stay ED's summons to Mehbooba Mufti in PMLA case

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to stay the summons that Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued to former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in a money laundering case.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh declined to grant any relief to the PDP leader.

The court asked the ED to file a short note of submission along with compilation of judgements relied upon by them before the next date on April 16.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, said Mufti just has to appear before the officials.

The summons ED had issued to Mufti to appear on March 15, has however not been followed up with another to appear on March 22.

The ED, which had earlier summoned Mufti for March 15, and was seeking relief from personal appearance on March 22.

Mufti's lawyer, Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, requested the court to ask ED not to insist for her personal presence as was done earlier. The bench however, did not grant the request as such and said, "We are not giving any stay. We are not granting any relief."

Mufti has sought quashing of summons issued to her by the ED in a money laundering case.

She has also sought to declare section 50 (power of ED officer to record statement) 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.

On top of this, she also sought an interim stay on the summons until the question of law about the constitutionality of Section 50 of the Act is decided.

(Based on PTI feed)