ED probe against Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group: Why court remanded ex-MD recovering from brain stroke

Taking note of Sateesh Seth’s medical condition, court directs ED to ensure the diet prescribed by his doctor is followed. He must be examined medically every six hours, it adds.

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New Delhi: After a late night hearing on Saturday, a Delhi court has granted six-day custody of former Reliance Anil Ambani Group executive Sateesh Seth to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe.

Additional sessions judge Vandana Jain said that the ED had complied with the requirements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 by supplying grounds of arrest to Seth before arresting him formally.

The agency had clearly brought out the “need and necessity” to keep Seth in custody, it said.

The former Reliance MD’s custody was required to trace the portion of proceeds of crime diverted abroad, the court noted in its 13-page order made public Sunday evening.

“Custodial interrogation is required to identify the beneficiaries of proceeds of crime and to unearth the entire trail of money,” the court said, while making it clear that this interrogation will be recorded through CCTV means, and its footage will be preserved as well.

ED has arrested Sateesh Seth & Gautam Bhailal Doshi, Group MDs of the Reliance Anil Ambani Group (RAAG), under PMLA, 2002 on 12.06.2026, in the Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. & Reliance Communications Ltd. matters respectively. Both remanded to ED custody. Probe continues. pic.twitter.com/C4KJe3EzeZ

— ED (@dir_ed) June 15, 2026

Taking note of Seth’s medical condition, and the fact that he had recently undergone a brain stroke, the court asked the ED to ensure the diet prescribed by his doctor is followed.

For his well-being, the court said that Seth must be examined medically every six hours, while he is in ED custody, and that his blood pressure will be monitored and recorded every two hours during this time as well. In case, there is any emergency, Seth will be rushed to the hospital, it added.

“The investigating officer has brought the attention of this Court towards the extensive medical examination conducted by JJ Hospital, Mumbai yesterday wherein the issue of his brain stroke was also considered. NECT scan of the brain was also conducted. Only after due satisfaction, the accused/arrestee was discharged from the hospital,” the court said.

Given the allegations and the role played by Seth in the commission of alleged offence, it said, there did exist a need for remanding him to ED custody “for the purposes of investigation”.

The matter will now be taken up on 19 June. Advocate Sumer Singh Boparai will appear for Seth in the court.

ED’s case against Seth

In the present case, the ED had sought 13-day custody of Sateesh Seth in connection with an FIR registered against him in February, last year, for offences such as forgery, fraud, forgery with intent to cheat, criminal breach of trust, forging valuable documents and criminal conspiracy, among others.

Shell companies like Geet Exim, Vibha Impex and Pahal Impex were found to be involved in siphoning of funds abroad through Hawala by creating fictitious bills against over-valued diamond imports, according to the FIR against Seth.

The prosecution said that these entities were used by corporates involved in the road construction business, which siphoned public money from government-awarded road contracts. An estimated total of approximately Rs 100 crore were allegedly siphoned in this manner.

The ED also said that Reliance was one of the corporates which utilised the network of these shell companies to siphon funds abroad.

After the investigation began under the PMLA, Reliance Infrastructure was identified as the primary beneficiary of a large-scale financial fraud involving systematic siphoning of public funds from two road construction projects, the ED said. These projects were awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and included the Jaipur Reengus Toll Road and Trichi-Karur Toll Road.

Narrowing the amount siphoned off from these tolls to Rs 92 crore, the ED had said that the crime was carried out through a network of shell entities tasked with remitting funds outside India.

Finally, the ED said that the need to arrest Seth arose as he was “capable” of suppressing evidence trails, since he was in a position of maintaining personal and financial connections with the current and former employees of Reliance, and could even tutor witnesses.

It added that the full quantum of the proceeds of crime still needed to be traced, and that the ultimate beneficiaries of the funds sent to UAE-based entities still needed to be ascertained.

(Edited by Tony Rai)