Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) Businessman Abhishek Verma and his wife, arrested for their alleged role in a money laundering case, Tuesday moved an application for their release in a Delhi court, terming their custody as illegal.

Verma and his Romanian wife Anca Maria Neascu filed separate applications before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Gautam Manan, requesting the court to release them as the “continuity of the custody has been broken” by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) with their judicial custody not extended Monday.

The court has fixed Sep 17 for hearing the matter and asked ED to file a reply on it.

Verma said that an application was moved by the ED for judicial custody before the ACMM’s court on which it, without passing any order on grant of further custody, issued production warrants.

“As the judicial custody of the applicant has not been extended by this court, his judicial custody is illegal and the applicant cannot be kept in judicial custody in the present case,” said Verma, in his application filed by lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.

The couple, in their applications, said they are “not in custody” in this case and granting their fresh custody will “tantamount to fresh arrest” and will lead to “severe agony and injustice” to them.

Verma and his wife were arrested Aug 22 by the ED in the money laundering case.

They were not produced in court Tuesday after expiry of their judicial custody as their custody were handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for 10 days in a case of violating the official secrets acts.

The 2006 naval war room leak case, in which Verma is an accused, was linked to leaking classified documents from the directorate of naval operations.

The couple also face separate corruption, cheating and forgery cases.