A Special PMLA court on Thursday (September 14) sent
Jet Airways' founder
Naresh Goyal to 14-day judicial custody after which
he will be lodged in Arthur Road jail in Mumbai for the next two weeks.74-year old Goyal was produced before the court at the end of his remand on Thursday. He was sent to judicial custody by the court as no further remand was sought by the probe agency. Following this, the court ordered him to be sent to Arthur Road jail.
Notably, Goyal himself sought to be sent to Arthur Road jail over Taloja Central Prison, located on the outskirts of the city. He filed several applications through his lawyer, Ameet Naik, requesting various accommodations during his time in custody.
He also requested permission to be admitted to a private hospital.
The plea stated that Goyal had complained of uneasiness and dizziness on a previous occasion and had been taken to the state-run Sir J J Hospital, where his heart rate was found to be low. Given his history of heart disease and a previous bypass surgery, the plea argued that he is at risk of cardiac arrest and requires constant medical attention. However, the court responded that such matters would be considered if his remand is extended.
Goyal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 1 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is accused of an alleged fraud of Rs 538 crore at the Canara Bank. Goyal founded
Jet Airways in 1993, and stepped down as the Chairman of the airline in 2019, when the airlines grounded its operations following a cash crunch.
His arrest came right after the Jalan Kalrock consortium paid Rs 100 crore ($120,000), of the total Rs 350 crore it promised to pay to takeover the now-grounded airline. The money laundering case was initiated by an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jet Airways, Goyal, his wife Anita and a few former company executives in connection with the alleged money laundering case. The raids were carried out by ED in July at premises linked to Naresh Goyal and others who were allegedly involved in the case.
