Bombay High Court asks DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan to file reply to ED's bail cancellation plea

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed scam-accused DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan to file an affidavit in reply to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) plea seeking cancellation of his bail.On 15 April, the ED moved the HC seeking that his bail be canceled for violation of bail conditions after it came to light that he and his family members had traveled to Mahabaleshwar during lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic.ED lawyer advocate Purnima Kantharia urged the court to take note of his behavior and cancel his bail.

Justice A S Gadkari directed Wadhawan -- who and his family were put under quarantine after their escape to the hill station came to light -- to file a reply by 28 April, and adjourned the hearing to 30 April.Wadhawan was arrested in January this year by ED for dubious dealings with gangster Iqbal Mirchi, who died in 2013, and was booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.On 21 February this year, a special PMLA court had granted Wadhawan bail in the case.ED lawyer Kantharia told the court that Wadhawan had been directed to appear regularly before the agency to ensure that he did not leave the city, but he traveled outside Mumbai during lockdown.As per the ED, a sum of Rs 12,773 crore was siphoned from DHFL on the pretext of providing loans to one lakh fictitious customers. A part of this amount was used to make payments to Mirchi, it claimed.As per its claim, Mirchi's Mumbai properties were sold to Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd, a company linked to Kapil Wadhawan and his brother Dheeraj Wadhawan.Earlier this month, the ED had issued orders for the seizure of five luxury vehicles in which Kapil Wadhawan, Dheeraj Wadhawan and other family members traveled to their farmhouse at Mahabaleshwar.