Delhi High Court Reserves Judgment in Sanjay Bhandari Fugitive Offense Case

The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on Sanjay Bhandari's challenge against a trial court's Fugitive Economic Offender declaration. While Bhandari's counsel seeks a stay on property seizure, the Enforcement Directorate argues for the order's enforcement to ensure Bhandari's return to India for legal proceedings.

The Delhi High Court reserved its decision on Thursday in a pivotal case involving UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari. Bhandari is challenging a trial court's declaration that identified him as a Fugitive Economic Offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna has postponed the ruling after thorough deliberations from both the prosecution and the defense.

Representing Bhandari, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal argued that the Fugitive Economic Offender status strips an individual of legal redress, calling for a stay on the trial court's decision to prevent the immediate confiscation of Bhandari's assets. The Enforcement Directorate, however, firmly opposed this move. Advocate Zoheb Hossain, representing the ED, insisted that delaying the order could not depend solely on Bhandari's request. Hossain emphasized that the purpose of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act is to compel Bhandari's return to India to face legal proceedings.

The initial trial court ruling by Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal declared Bhandari a Fugitive Economic Offender following claims of willful evasion and undisclosed foreign assets worth over ₹100 crores. While Bhandari's legal team stresses a UK court ruling blocks his extradition to safeguard his welfare, the ED maintains the UK's decision does not affect Indian legal actions. Previous attempts by the Indian government to counter the UK High Court's discharge ruling in the UK Supreme Court were unsuccessful.