PMLA | Patiala House Court grants ED 10 day Custody of I-PAC Director Vinesh Chandel

On Tuesday, the Patiala House Court, Delhi, remanded Vinesh Chandel, Director of Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), to 10 days of custody of the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case involving alleged proceeds of crime worth ₹50 crore, signalling a significant escalation in the ongoing probe into financial dealings linked to a political consultancy firm.

The order was passed by the Patiala House Court following Chandel’s arrest by the ED, with the agency asserting that he is a key stakeholder in PAC Consulting Private Limited, holding a substantial ownership interest. The case stems from an FIR registered by the Delhi Police and has since expanded into a wider financial investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

According to the ED, the probe has uncovered a pattern of alleged irregularities, including inflow of both disclosed and undisclosed funds, unsecured financial transactions lacking commercial justification, generation of fictitious invoices, and layering of funds through intermediary entities. The agency further alleged that certain transactions involved the use of informal hawala channels, both within and outside India, to conceal the movement of funds. Earlier searches conducted at I-PAC’s Kolkata office had also brought the matter into the political spotlight.

The Court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon, allowed the ED’s plea for custodial interrogation, observing the necessity of further investigation into the financial trail and alleged laundering mechanisms. The proceedings, which extended past midnight, culminated in the Court granting 10 days’ custody, effectively accepting the agency’s contention that deeper interrogation was required to unravel the complexities of the case. 

The investigation is still ongoing.

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