Madras HC adjourns alleged drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq's plea to quash arrest order; sessions court issues judicial custody

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court adjourned the hearing of alleged drug kingpin Jaffer Sadiq's plea seeking to quash the arrest order issued against him by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).

A division bench of Justice MS Ramesh and Justice Sunder Mohan heard the petition moved by Jaffer Sadiq seeking to qaush the arrest order issued against him under prevention of money laundering act (PMLA).

The counsel representing Jaffer submitted that the Delhi Court granted bail to his client in the predicate offence case, the ED arrested him in way of issuing Prisoner in Transit (PT) warrant which is illegal.

The ED violated section 19 (3) PMLA by not producing him in a court within 24 hours after his arrest, said the counsel and sought to quash the arrest order.

The counsel for ED sought time to file counter.

However, the petitioner objected to the submission as the petition will become infructuous if he is remanded.

The bench observed that their powers are vide and validity of the subsequent remand can also be decided by them in the petition.

The matter was posted on July 22 for further submission.

Meanwhile, the ED produced Jaffer Sadiq before the principal sessions judge S Alli seeking remand to investigate with him regarding the PMLA case.

After hearing both sides the judge issued judicial custody against Jaffer Sadiq until July 29.

The ED sleuths from Chennai zone arrested Jaffer Sadiq in the Tihar Central Prison, New Delhi, where he was lodged after being arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for smuggling pseudoephedrine to Australia and New Zealand.

The ED registered the case under the prevention of money laundering act connecting to the drug smuggling case.