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Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora moves HC challenging his ED arrest
Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging his arrest by the ED under the PMLA. The hearing before the High Court bench led to an adjournment to May 14, with arguments detailing alleged constitutional and statutory violations.
Why It Matters
The case centers on the legality of arrest and remand under the PMLA and the conduct of ED actions, raising questions about due process in high-profile political cases.
Timeline
5 Events
High Court hearing on Arora's challenge to arrest; adjourned
May 12, 2026
Arora moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging his arrest as illegal and unconstitutional, citing alleged violations of Section 19 PMLA and Articles 14, 21 and 22 of the Constitution. The hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry heard arguments by his counsel Puneet Bali and others and adjourned the matter to May 14.
ED arrests Sanjeev Arora; remand order issued
May 9, 2026
The ED arrested Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an alleged ₹100-crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case involving entities linked to him. He was placed in ED custody following a remand order by a Special Court in Gurugram that extended custody till May 16. The searches were conducted at his residence in Chandigarh.
ED conducts searches; no incriminating material recovered
April 19, 2026
Searches were conducted from April 16 to 19 by the ED, and no incriminating document, digital device, currency, unaccounted asset or incriminating material was recovered.
FIR registered in Gurugram based on ED complaint
April 18, 2026
Following the ED's complaint, an FIR was registered at police station Udyog Vihar, Gurugram. The copy of the FIR has not been supplied to the petitioner.
ED issues search authorisations on petitioner and HSRL premises
April 16, 2026
The ED issued search authorisations in respect of the petitioner's residential premises, the residential premises of Kavya Arora, and the office premises of Hampton Sky Realty Limited (HSRL, formerly Ritesh Properties and Industries Limited).