New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday summoned Rajasthan Congress leader and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot in a case involving alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
He has been asked to depose before the ED headquarters Friday.
The development comes a month ahead of assembly elections. The CM took to microblogging site X to mount an attack against the BJP, alleging misuse of central agencies. He further claimed that the BJP “does not want women, farmers and the poor in Rajasthan to get the benefit of guarantees given by Congress”, adding that his son received the summons just a day after the Congress launched guarantees for women in the state.
दिनांक 25/10/23
राजस्थान की महिलाओं के लिए कांग्रेस की गारंटियाँ लॉंच
दिनांक 26/10/23
-राजस्थान कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष गोविन्द सिंह जी डोटासरा के यहाँ ED की रेड
– मेरे बेटे वैभव गहलोत को ED में हाज़िर होने का समन
अब आप समझ सकते हैं, जो मैं कहता आ रहा हूँ कि राजस्थान के अंदर ED की… pic.twitter.com/6hUbmCHCW1
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) October 26, 2023
The ED is also conducting raids at the residences of Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and independent MLA Om Prakash Hudla, who is also the party’s candidate from Mahuwa constituency for the upcoming state polls.
The raids against Dotasra and Hudla are in connection with a money laundering investigation into the 2022 paper leak case in Rajasthan. Dotasra was the minister of school education in Ashok Gehlot’s cabinet before he was appointed party chief in 2020.
“The situation today is worrying. The question is not about someone, the question is not about my son. They have spread fear in the country,” Ashok Gehlot said at a press conference Thursday.
The Rajasthan CM further said that he had heard of ED officers shifting base to Chhattisgarh — another Congress-ruled state going to polls next month — and living on rent because “they have to conduct raids every day”.
#WATCH | Jaipur | On ED raids on properties of Govind Singh Dotasra and ED summon to Vaibhav Gehlot, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot says, "…The situation today is worrying. The question is not about someone, the question is not about my son. They have spread terror across the… pic.twitter.com/AEDDdRINGo
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2023
ThePrint reached Vaibhav Gehlot, Dotasra and Hudla for comment via calls. This report will be updated if and when they respond.
Case against Vaibhav Gehlot
According to media reports, the ED office in Jaipur had received a complaint in 2015 that Vaibhav Gehlot allegedly benefited from remittance from a Mauritius-based shell company as it invested in a hotel business at an exorbitant valuation.
The complainants, Suraj Kumar Soni and Rajkumar Sharma, reportedly told the ED that a company called Shivnar Holding Ltd of Mauritius bought 2,500 shares of Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd in July 2011. They further claimed that shares which should have been valued at Rs 100 were bought at Rs 39,900 each.
The complainants linked Vaibhav Gehlot to Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd through Ratan Kant Sharma, allegedly an old friend of the Congress leader and who was working as director of his (Gehlot’s) company, Sunlight Car Rental Services.
They also alleged that Vaibhav Gehlot worked as legal adviser to Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd and received a salary of Rs 50,000 per month.
In August-end, the ED had conducted raids in Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Delhi, on the premises of Triton Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd, M/s. Vardha Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. and its directors and promoters including Shiv Shankar Sharma and Rattan Kant Sharma, in connection with the same case.
The ED in its statement had said that it has “credible information” of Triton Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd violating FEMA provisions and then routing the money through cross border hawala transactions.
“ED initiated investigation on the basis of credible information wherein M/s. Triton Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd. received FDI from M/s. Shivnar Holdings Ltd; Mauritius at a huge premium which was revised several times violating FEMA provisions. Information further revealed that Triton Group has been involved in Hawala transactions having cross border implications,” the ED had said post the raids.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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