Mumbai: A special court dealing with cases pertaining to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud on Tuesday directed Kavita Mankikar, an executive assistant to fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi, to include Enforcement Directorate (ED) as party respondent in her application challenging this court’s order allowing the ED to interrogate her in judicial custody in connection with the fraud case.
The special ED court judge Sardar Tamboli, on Monday, had allowed an application filed by ED seeking to interrogate six accused, including Mankikar, who were authorised signatories of M/s Diamonds ‘R’ US, M/s Stellar Diamonds and M/s Solar Exports in judicial custody in connection with the fraud.
Mankikar challenged this order on Tuesday however, in her plea she made CBI as respondent while the court had allowed ED to interrogate her and hence the court directed her to include ED as respondent.
The court had allowed ED to interrogate Vipul Ambani, Manish Bosamiya, Nitin Pandya, Sanjay Lambiya, Vipul Chatalia and Mankikar. On the basis of CBI’s case the ED is also investigating this case simultaneously and hence had requested the court to allow it to interrogate the accused in the case.
Mankikar has challenged her arrest before the Bombay high court, saying that Supreme Court guidelines were not followed while arresting her. She has contended that the CBI arrested her after sunset and as per apex court guidelines, a woman cannot be arrested after sunset. The high court is expected to hear her petition on Wednesday.
Cheat sheet
Sanjay Rambhia, the partner of a firm that used to conduct audits of Nirav Modi’s firms, the Firestar Group of Companies, has filed bail application and the CBI has opposed his application. According to the CBI, the accused had signed the audit report for the financial year 2016-17. The agency has also said that it was the duty of the accused in the capacity as auditor to check the veracity of the alleged unsecured loans but the accused allegedly had colluded with Modi’s firms to benefit.
