SC Grants Interim Bail To Journalist Mahesh Langa In ED Case

The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to journalist Mahesh Langa, who has been accused in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant ordered the special court to take up the money laundering case trial on day to day basis for recording the statements of nine remaining witnesses in the trial.

According to Bar and Bench, the court also restrained Langa, former journalist with The Hindu, from writing any article with respect to the allegations against him.

Opposing the bail, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said: “A journalist is found to be extorting money. We want to file an additional counter. They say if you don’t pay I will print something.”

However, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Langa, said: “I have filed a counter to their reply. Now they want to file an additional counter. What right do you have ? They say 68 crores fraud and it is not even 68 lakhs”.

He further said no chargesheet has been filed. “Saying I am influencing witnesses is shocking. I have disclosed details of all FIRs. This is very very disturbing. Since October 2024, I am inside for what offence. It’s not murder!”

“There is no supplementary complaint. Give me the documents on this one crore. You cannot have it both ways,” he said.

Considering that only nine witnesses remain to be examined in the trial, the Court granted Langa interim bail, Bar and Bench reported.

The judges directed Langa to extend full cooperation for the trial and ordered him not to seek no adjournment on the ground of pendency of his quashing petition.

“Let Enforcement Directorate furnish a status report on the compliance of the above conditions,” the court said while fixing the next date for hearing on January 6.

Langa was arrested by Gujarat Police last year in a case in a case involving allegations of Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud. He was later booked in other cases as well.

The ED started the probe against Langa and others after an FIR was registered by the deputy commissioner of police in Ahmedabad for alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust.

The ED started the probe against Langa and others after an FIR was registered by the deputy commissioner of police in Ahmedabad for alleged cheating and criminal breach of trust.

The agency said that the senior journalist is also implicated in the GST Input Tax Credit scam, which is currently under investigation by the ED.

According to the ED, Mahesh Langa attempted to manipulate and conceal the true nature of financial transactions linked to fraud and the GST Input Tax Credit scam.