Out on bail in Bihar job scam, Delhi bizman to face trial in Haryana

A CBI COURT IN PANCHKULA ON DECEMBER 4, 2024, LISTED THE TRIAL CASE FOR JANUARY 20 FOR CONSIDERATION ON CHARGE

- Hitender Rao

CHANDIGARH: Trouble is mounting for Delhi-based businessman Amit Katyal who was arrested in November 2023 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly assisting former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in money laundering. Katyal, who was granted bail by the Delhi high court (HC) on September 17, 2024, in the money laundering case, now faces trial in the Gurgaon land release case after his plea for setting aside the CBI court's March 9, 2021 order, summoning him to face the trial, was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana HC on December 4.

The Gurgaon land release case was investigated by the CBI on 2017 orders of the Supreme Court. Amit Katyal was summoned as an accused by the CBI court on March 9, 2021, after the court had asked the investigating officer to file an affidavit explaining how, why, and under what circumstances he has not been included as an accused in the chargesheet even though there is a categoric mention in the challan about his role in the alleged criminal conspiracy and offences. Subsequently, he petitioned the Punjab and Haryana high court with a prayer to set aside the CBI court's order to summon him to face the trial.

The Punjab and Haryana HC in a July 1, 2021 order said that without looking into the individual role of a person in the capacity of the managing director at the first instance amounted to leaving legal flaws in the investigation at the institutional level considering the fact that, in a number of cases, the CBI, while furnishing the chargesheet (as even noticed by the Supreme Court in Sunil Mittal Bharti case), only arrayed companies as accused through director/managing director.