Chandigarh :
Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, currently in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody, has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking immediate release, terming his arrest “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Arora was arrested on May 9 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and has challenged both his arrest and the remand order passed by a Gurugram Special PMLA Court, which sent him to ED custody till May 16.
Arbitrary arrest’: plea in High Court
In his petition, Arora has alleged that his arrest was “arbitrary, mechanical and without jurisdiction,” claiming it violated fundamental rights under Articles 14, 21 and 22 of the Constitution.
He has also sought quashing of the remand order, arguing that proper legal safeguards under the PMLA were not followed.
Defence of business transactions
Arora has stated that he was earlier associated with M/s Hampton Sky Realty Limited but resigned after joining public office and had no role in its day-to-day operations.
He claimed that all export transactions linked to the company were legitimate, fully documented, and carried out through banking channels with proper records, including invoices, GST returns, shipping documents, and audited accounts.
No evidence recovered’, says pl
The petition further claims that ED searches did not recover any incriminating material such as cash, documents, or assets, and that the case is entirely documentary in nature.
It also argues that custodial interrogation is unnecessary as all relevant records are already in the agency’s possession.
Court hearing scheduled
The matter is set to be heard by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry. Senior advocate Puneet Bali will represent the petitioner.
The Enforcement Directorate has not yet issued a response on the petition.
