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Adani Group’s Bid for Troubled Jaiprakash Associates Approved

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has in principle approved Adani Group’s acquisition of the financially troubled Jaiprakash Associates, contingent on a successful bid in the ongoing insolvency proceedings. The proposed transaction involves Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) and Adani Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd (AIDPL) seeking to acquire up to 100% of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL), as outlined in a statement from the regulator on Tuesday. The CCI noted that an approval is essential for the concerned entity to submit a resolution plan following a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The approval…

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ED Arrests Ex-Director of Sahiti Infratech in ₹800 Crore Case

HYDERABAD: The Enforcement Directorate’s Hyderabad unit has arrested Sandu Purnachandra Rao, the former director of Sahiti Infratec Ventures India Pvt Ltd (SIVIPL), under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly defrauding homebuyers of crores of rupees. Rao was taken into custody on Monday and presented before a special PMLA court in Nampally on Tuesday, where he was remanded to 15 days of judicial custody. Sahiti Infra is charged with defrauding homebuyers of approximately ₹360 crore. The ED initiated its investigation following an FIR filed by Telangana Police against SIVIPL, its managing director B. Lakshminarayan, and others, highlighting a…

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SC Tightens Rules for Sand-Mining Leases

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has delivered a pivotal ruling linking the amount of sand mining to a river’s capacity for replenishment. This judgment aims to curb the degradation of riverbeds, making it more complex to obtain leases for extracting essential construction materials from riverbanks. A bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar advanced the regulatory framework for sand mining, stating that extraction activities must align with the river’s ability to replenish itself—similar to the regulation of timber felling in forests based on their regeneration capacity. The bench remarked, “Just as forest conservation necessitates evaluating tree growth…

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ED Conducts Searches on BPTP in Delhi-NCR

NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at locations linked to real estate firm BPTP across Delhi-NCR as part of an investigation into a foreign exchange violation case involving approximately Rs 500 crore, according to official sources. The searches were carried out at BPTP’s premises in Delhi, Noida, and Faridabad under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). A probe revealed that BPTP received over Rs 500 crore in foreign investments pursuant to the “automatic route” from companies based in Mauritius during the 2007-2008 period, allegedly violating existing FEMA regulations, as per ED sources. A spokesperson for BPTP stated…

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ED Arrests Galaxy Constructions Director in Bank Fraud Case

MUMBAI: The ED has taken into custody the director of a Pune-based real estate firm from a five-star hotel in Mumbai, along with Rs 9.5 lakh in cash and gold and diamond jewelry valued at Rs 2.3 crore in connection with a bank loan fraud investigation. Amit Ashok Thepade was arrested on Sunday at the luxury hotel in south Mumbai, where he had been residing for the past two months. According to the federal agency, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court has remanded him to ED custody for five days. The ED reported that Thepade, who had…

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Krrish Realtech diverted ₹205 crore from homebuyers to Colombo hotel: ED

GURUGRAM | NEW DELHI: A Gurugram realty company allegedly defrauded home buyers by collecting over Rs 500 crore for housing plots and misappropriating approximately Rs 205 crore for a hotel project in Sri Lanka, according to a chargesheet filed by the ED. The federal investigation agency is looking into various homebuyer fraud cases nationwide, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR), where the real estate market is thriving. This specific inquiry involves Krrish Realtech, led by its promoter Amit Katyal, among others. Katyal was arrested in 2023 in a separate money laundering case linked to an alleged land-for-jobs scam with…

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Court Denies HDIL Promoter Trip to Hyderabad, Allows Other Travel

MUMBAI: A special PMLA court has denied HDIL promoter Sarang Wadhawan’s request to travel to Hyderabad, where he is under investigation for allegedly facilitating threats via another individual. Wadhawan is implicated in a Rs 6,117.9 crore money laundering case. “A complaint has been filed with the ED (Enforcement Directorate) concerning threats involving the accused, and verification of the allegations is ongoing. Given the situation, allowing the applicant to visit Hyderabad is neither just nor appropriate,” stated Special Judge R B Rote. Wadhawan, who was released on bail last year after being arrested four years ago alongside his father, Rakesh Wadhawan,…

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Bombay HC: MLA Must Not Interfere in Redevelopment Efforts

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has prohibited the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and BMC from responding to complaints and interference from BJP MLA Parag Alavani and a competing developer regarding a slum rehabilitation project in Vile Parle (E), as reported by Rosy Sequeira. The bench, consisting of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, remarked, “It reflects poorly when any statutory authority abandons its statutory responsibilities due to outside interference, which is evidently what the respondent 2 (SRA) appears to have done,” during their ruling last Friday. In November 2020, the Shree Gurukrupa CHS, a slum-dwellers’ society, appointed Sateri Builders for…

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Nagpur SROs Failed to Report ₹5,500 Crore Real Estate Deals

NAGPUR: The Income Tax Department is probing unreported real estate transactions valued over Rs 5,500 crore, originating from the property registrar’s offices. The investigation began at the Hingna sub-registrar’s office (SRO) and has now expanded to four additional SROs in Nagpur city. According to the Intelligence and Criminal Investigation (IC) wing of the I-T department, it was discovered that a single SRO had reported deals amounting to Rs 2,500 crore that were missing from the Statement of Financial Transactions (SFT). When combined with other SROs under investigation, the total now surpasses Rs 5,500 crore. Sources indicate that this case has…

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Ranchi Civic Body Warns Defaulters: Pay Property Tax in 10 Days

RANCHI: On Friday, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) published the list of the city’s top 500 property tax defaulters on its official website [www.ranchimunicipal.com]. The corporation has instructed all listed defaulters to settle their outstanding dues within 10 days of the notice being posted. Officials have warned that failure to make payments within the designated time frame will lead to strict legal action under Section 184 of the Jharkhand Municipal Act, 2011. This may include rigorous recovery measures to ensure compliance. The corporation clarified on Saturday that this notice acts as the final warning for chronic defaulters, who have repeatedly…