ED frames money laundering charges under PMLA against TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has framed criminal charges against Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Saket Gokhale under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The charges were formalized on Tuesday by the Principal District and Sessions Judge of Ahmedabad (Rural), who also serves as the designated Special Court under the PMLA.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced the development, stating that the court had not only framed charges against Gokhale under the PMLA but also in relation to a scheduled offense in a separate police case. The ED made the announcement via a post on X.

Additionally, the special court rejected Gokhale’s application under Section 309 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), in which he sought to suspend the PMLA proceedings until a decision was reached in the scheduled offense case against him.

Gokhale was arrested by state police in December 2022 in Delhi for allegedly misappropriating funds collected through crowdfunding. The ED presented evidence in court suggesting that Gokhale had used substantial amounts of the crowdfunded money for speculative share trading, dining, and other personal expenses, which the agency described as extravagant. Gokhale, however, has denied any wrongdoing or misuse of the funds.

Despite these allegations, Gokhale was granted regular bail by a special court in May last year in connection with the money laundering case.

In a separate legal matter, Gokhale was ordered by the Delhi High Court in July to pay ₹50 lakhs in damages to Lakshmi Puri, the wife of Union Minister Hardeep Puri, for defamation. The defamation case arose from a series of tweets and public statements made by Gokhale, which Puri claimed were false and damaging to her reputation, particularly concerning her financial dealings and public conduct.