Kamal Nath's nephew Ratul Puri summoned by Delhi court in fertiliser scam

A Delhi court summoned on Friday Ratul Puri, nephew of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, as an accused in a money laundering case linked to an alleged fertiliser scam for which Rs 685 crore was paid as kickback.

Special Judge Vikas Dhull, while taking cognizance of a supplementary charge sheet in the case, directed Puri to appear before the court on January 18.

The judge passed the order while noting the submissions made by the ED's Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana that prima facie there was enough evidence to prosecute Puri in the case.

Besides Puri, the judge also summoned Sangam Theatres Private Limited and Sanjay Jain, who is currently in judicial custody in the case.

\RThe court also dismissed Jain’s plea seeking default bail in the case, saying that the ground was not sufficient to grant him the relief.

“From the material which has come on record during the course of further investigation, there is sufficient material on record to take cognizance of the offence,” the judge said.

He said Ratul Puri and Sangam Theatres Private Limited knowingly assisted in the concealment of the proceeds of crime and by showing it to be untainted property. “In the light of the aforesaid discussion, there is sufficient material on record to summon accused Sanjay Jain, Ratul Puri and Sangam Theaters Private Limited as an accused,” the court said.

Puri is also an accused in cases related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam and Moser Baer scam. He is currently out on bail.

According to the ED, the fertiliser scam case, also involving RJD Rajya Sabha MP Amarendra Dhari Singh and IFFCO Managing Director and CEO U S Awasthi, relates to illegal commissions worth over Rs 685 crore allegedly paid to the NRI sons of Awasthi and Indian Potash Ltd (IPL) Managing Director P S Gahlaut, and some others by overseas suppliers during 2007-14.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) is a multi-state farmers' cooperative, while IPL is its company involved in supplying fertilisers for which the government provides subsidies to keep the rates affordable, the ED said.

It alleged that Awasthi and others in IFFCO generated proceeds of crime and layered it through various unrelated entities and part of that was transferred to the entities controlled by Awasthi and others.