HC grants bail to Sanjay Pandey Former Mumbai Police Commissioner in money laundering case

HC grants bail to Sanjay Pandey Former Mumbai Police Commissioner in money laundering case

In a new development, the Delhi High Court on Thursday, December 8. 2022, has granted bail to Sanjay Pandey, former Mumbai Police Commissioner in money laundering case related to alleged illegal phone tapping and snooping of National Stock Exchange (NSE) employees.

Reportedly, the money laundering case, being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), arises from a CBI FIR against Pandey and his company iSec Services Private Limited for the alleged commission of offences under the Indian Penal Code, Indian Telegraph Act and Prevention of Corruption Act.

As per CBI, iSec in conspiracy with other accused persons illegally obviated MTNL lines at the NSE between 2009 and 2017 and recorded calls by various NSE officials. As per allegations levelled, the telephone monitoring was carried out by iSec without the consent of the competent authority required under the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act and also without the knowledge of the NSE employees.

Meanwhile, ED had arrested Pandey on July 19 and subsequently sent to judicial custody.

Whereas the trial court In August, had rejected Pandey’s bail in the case and the material available prima face showed his active involvement in the execution of recording and monitoring of calls at the NSE.
He was directly communicating with the bourse staff as well as those of the iSec Services Pvt Ltd, the company he founded and which was responsible for the cyber security audit of the NSE.

According to the trial court the material collected by the investigating officer “prima face” established that the retired IPS officer was in de facto control of the affairs of iSec even after 2006, when he resigned as a director, and kept attending meetings with NSE officials.

Since the applicant was the chief of Mumbai Police till June 30, 2022, the apprehension of the investigating agency that he may influence the witnesses or tamper with the evidence was not unfounded.

Earlier on July 14, the ED had on arrested Chitra Ramkrishna, the former MD and CEO of the NSE in the phone tapping case.

At that time around, Ramkrishna was already in jail in the CBI case relating to the co-location scam at the NSE. She was granted bail in this case on September 28.

News Input K.V.Raman