Rajasthan anti-corruption body turns table by arresting an Enforcement Directorate official

Rajasthan's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACB), on Thursday, November 2, flipped the script as it detained an official from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over allegations of involvement in a bribery case.

The ED official under investigation, identified as Naval Kishore Meena, found himself in hot water as the Rajasthan ACB conducted raids across the state, reported India Today.

The ED, responsible for combating economic crimes in India, now sees its official facing similar scrutiny for the crimes it typically investigates.

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ED official's detention

• The ED official under investigation, identified as Naval Kishore Meena was detained by the Rajasthan ACB conducted raids across the state.
• He was apprehended on charges of seeking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh through an intermediary, following a case involving an apparent income discrepancy with unexplained sources of earnings, reported India Today.
• The Rajasthan ACB is expected to make an official announcement soon, the report added.

This comes a couple of days after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, underwent a nine-hour-long interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged foreign exchange rule (FEMA) violations.

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• He has been summoned for further questioning on November 16.
• Notably, the state of Rajasthan is set to go to assembly polls later this month, on November 25. The process of filing nominations for these elections has already begun.

Not only with Vaibhav's case, but the Enforcement Directorate has also been on a rampage with other cases as well, including politicians, businesspeople and film actors.

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Delhi excise policy

• Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance agency is also investigating the alleged excise policy scam.
• The ED alleges that the AAP-led Government of NCT of Delhi, while framing the now scrapped excise policy sought to favour certain liquor vendors.
• The ED also arrested Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia in February 2023 for his involvement in a money laundering case, stemming from a CBI FIR.

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Betting app case

• The ED, in early October, had summoned actors Shraddha Kapoor, Huma Qureshi, Hina Khan, and comedian Kapil Sharma as part of its investigation into an online betting case.
• Huma Qureshi and Hina Khan were also summoned for their alleged promotion of the app, while Kapil Sharma has been called to attend a success party of the Mahadev Book app in Dubai.
• Actor Ranbir Kapoor was also summoned for the same. He had sought more time to appear.
• The Mahadev Book app is under investigation for its involvement in online betting, and it was operated from Dubai, with allegations of money laundering through benami bank accounts.

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ED's mandate

• The ED, a domestic law enforcement and economic intelligence agency, operates under the Department of Revenue within the Ministry of Finance.
• Its primary role is to enforce economic laws and combat economic crimes in the country.
• Among the major laws and acts within the ED's purview are the

1. Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA),
2. Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA),
3. Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 (FEOA),
4. Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA).

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