ED arrests Haryana Congress MLA in illegal mining case

Gurugram/Ambala, Jul 20 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar on Saturday in an illegal mining-linked money-laundering case, official sources said.

The 55-year-old legislator was taken into custody in the early hours in Gurugram. He was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ambala which sent him to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate till July 29.

At the request of Panwar’s counsel, the court directed the ED to allow the MLA’s lawyer to meet him for half an hour daily and provide him medicines prescribed by doctors.

The agency had raided the premises of the Sonepat MLA in January on charges of “large-scale illegal mining” in the Yamunanagar area of the state.

It had then arrested former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator from Yamunanagar, Dilbag Singh, and one of his associates, Kulwinder Singh, in the case.

The money-laundering case stems from several FIRs registered by the Haryana Police for probing alleged illegal mining of boulders, gravel and sand that took place in the past in Yamunanagar and nearby districts despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The ED is also probing an alleged fraud in the “e-Ravana” scheme, an online portal that was introduced by the Haryana government in 2020 to simplify the collection of royalties and taxes and prevent tax evasion in mining areas.

It is estimated, according to the ED, that the alleged illegal mining generated slush funds of about Rs 400-500 crore over the last few years.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ashok Mehta called Panwar’s arrest “politically motivated”.

Elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly are slated to be held later this year.