ED Special Court Issues Summons to Five Accused in Religare Enterprises Money Laundering Case

Money Laundering Case: Special PMLA Court Issues Summons to Five Accused in Religare Enterprises Case

The Special PMLA Court in Mumbai has taken a significant step in the ongoing money laundering case related to Religare Enterprises Limited (REL). On the basis of a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the court has issued summons to five accused persons.

Key Accused in the Case

The ED has alleged that former Religare Enterprises Executive Chairperson Rashmi Saluja, former President and General Counsel Nishant Singhal, former Group CFO Nitin Aggarwal, Vaibhav Gawli, and Pratap Venugopal were part of a conspiracy to prevent the Burman family from gaining control of Religare Enterprises. The ED claims that the accused persons were involved in an ESOP scam worth around Rs 179.54 crore.

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Allegations Against the Accused

According to the ED, Vaibhav Gawli was allegedly offered Rs 2 lakh in cash and Rs 1.20 lakh to purchase 500 shares of REL. After buying the shares, he allegedly filed a complaint at Mumbai’s Matunga Police Station as a public shareholder of the company. The ED claims that this complaint was part of an effort to stop the Burman family from taking control of Religare Enterprises. The agency has further alleged that the company’s former officials wanted to retain control of the company and continue receiving various financial benefits, including ESOPs.

Court Observations

The Special Court has observed that the documents on record, witness statements, and the ED’s complaint make out a prima facie case of money laundering. The court has concluded that there are sufficient grounds to proceed against the accused under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

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Next Steps

The Special Court has issued summons to all five accused and directed them to appear before the court on June 11, 2026.