NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the Enforcement Directorate’s plea regarding the Allahabad High Court’s ruling that transferred a money laundering case involving the Amrapali group, accused of diverting homebuyers’ funds.
The Lucknow bench of the High Court, on August 11, 2025, decided to move the case filed by the ED against Ajay Kumar and two others from a special PMLA court in Lucknow to a designated court in Ghaziabad.
The Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, acknowledged the arguments presented by Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, who stated that the High Court had mistakenly transferred the case.
The bench also issued notices to the former promoters of Amrapali, specifically Anil Kumar Sharma, Ajay Kumar, and Shiv Priya.
The High Court justified the transfer, citing a Central government notification from October 7, 2022, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The accused argued that since the alleged crime took place in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, the matter should be handled by the Special Court for Anti-Corruption, CBI (West) in Ghaziabad, as per the 2022 notification. However, the ED opposed this stance, referencing a Supreme Court decision.
The High Court ultimately dismissed the ED’s arguments, concluding that they did not align with the statutory notification concerning the territorial jurisdiction of designated PMLA courts.
Acknowledging the application, the High Court ordered the transfer of the ongoing complaint case from the Special PMLA Court in Lucknow to the designated Special Court in Ghaziabad.
Additionally, the Supreme Court’s ruling on July 23, 2019, had held builders accountable for violating the trust of homebuyers, leading to the cancellation of the Amrapali group’s registration under real estate law (RERA) and their eviction from key properties in the NCR.
Multiple cases are still pending against the promoters.
