The Special Court for CBI in Chennai has adjourned the hearing of alleged drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq’s bail plea to allow the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to make its submission.Senior counsels R John Sathyan and Abudu Kumar Rajaratnam, representing the petitioners, argued that the ED violated the principles established in the Supreme Court’s 2022 judgment in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary vs Union of India. According to the counsels, the ED had registered the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Jaffer Sadiq and his brother Mohammed Saleem without establishing the proceeds of the crime, a requirement under the law set by the Supreme Court.
The counsels further claimed that the ED included properties purchased by the brothers before the period under investigation as proceeds of the crime. They contended that this was legally untenable and sought bail, assuring the court that the petitioners would cooperate fully with the investigation if released.
The bail plea, which was heard on Thursday, has been adjourned to Monday for the ED’s submission.
On March 9, 2024, the Delhi unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Jaffer Sadiq for his alleged involvement in the international trafficking of pseudoephedrine and other narcotics to markets in Australia, Malaysia, and New Zealand.
Jaffer, a former deputy organizer of the DMK NRI wing for Chennai West, has been under investigation by the ED for alleged money laundering linked to the drug trafficking case. The investigation also brought his brother, Mohammed Saleem, under scrutiny.
The case continues to unravel as the court examines the submissions made by both parties.