Arrested Punjab Industries Minister, Sanjeev Arora, has filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, claiming his arrest was arbitrary and violated constitutional safeguards. The Enforcement Directorate detained Arora on May 9 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002. The Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry are presiding over the case.
Arora is seeking release from what he deems as an illegal custody by the Enforcement Directorate. He is requesting the court to halt his arrest and revoke the subsequent remand. The Special Judge (PMLA) in Gurugram has extended Arora’s custody to the ED until May 16.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at Arora’s properties in Chandigarh and Delhi-NCR on May 9. The raids included his official residence in Chandigarh. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann criticized the BJP for allegedly misusing central agencies in response to the raid.
In a social media post, Chief Minister Mann expressed his discontent with the repeated ED visits to Arora’s residence. Arora had previously faced ED raids in 2024 in connection with a money laundering case involving the conversion of industrial land for residential projects.
