Money laundering at IESM: Maj Gen, Gp Captain get pre-arrest bail

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Maj-Gen Satbir Singh (retd) and Group Captain VK Gandhi (retd) in a case registered against them in Gurgaon for allegedly withdrawing around Rs 14 lakh from the account of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) without informing the chairman, Lt Gen. Raj Kadyan (retd).

FIR was registered in the case at Palam Vihar police station in Gurgaon on February 8 for cheating and criminal breach of trust. The FIR was registered at Gurgaon court’s directions on a complaint lodged by Kadyan that Maj Gen Singh and Wg Cdr CK Sharma (retd) had been arbitrarily withdrawing large amounts from the IESM account without informing him as there were two other signatories besides him. Sharma was arrested in March.

The order came earlier this week from the court, which observed that the petitioners had re-deposited the amount barring a sum of Rs 4 lakh and putting them behind bars during pendency of the trial was not warranted. The court, after observing that probe was complete and challan had been submitted in the magistrate’s court, said it was not a case where custodial interrogation would serve any purpose.

IESM, constituted in December 2008 as a voluntary society by senior defence veterans to seek justice for ex-servicemen in India, has nearly 36 lakh members.