ED submits proof against Hasan Ali, court still unconvinced

 The hearing was adjourned for one more day to Friday, when the sessions court is likely to give its order.

On Wednesday, Principal Sessions Judge M L Tahilyani had reprimanded the ED for not doing its homework properly on Hasan Ali’s case. On Thursday, the judge again blasted the probe agency for its shoddy work. Following the court’s reprimand, the ED appeared to have done some homework and submitted a sealed envelope containing all the documents gathered during the probe was submitted. The ED requested the court to give more time to bring the case to a logical conclusion and brought to the notice of the judge that the agency needed to submit a status report on the case to the Supreme Court on March 18. The ED’s lawyer Rajiv Awasthi informed the court that Hasan Ali was questioned 18 times by the ED officials, but he was not cooperating.

The defence counsel, however, argued that the ED’s need to submit a report in the SC is not enough ground to grant them the custody of Hasan Ali. The judge was not convinced by the ED’s arguments and said the evidence submitted about Hasan Ali’s illegal transactions or details of his bank accounts abroad, on the basis of which the agency is seeking his custody, was inadequate.