Bombay HC quashes ED's ECIR against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, wife

Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways (Image: Reuters)

The Bombay High Court on Thursday quashed the Enforcement Case Information Report' (ECIR) registered by the Enforcement Directorate against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal in an alleged money laundering case.

The central probe agency's ECIR was based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by police against Goyals for alleged cheating and forgery on a complaint filed by Akbar Travels.

After hearing both the sides, a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan quashed the ECIR registered on February 20, 2020 and all proceedings against Goyals on the ground of "being illegal and contrary" to law.

Generally, an ECIR, somewhat similar to an FIR, is registered on the basis of a criminal case registered by police, the Central Bureau of Investigation, or any other agency.

Earlier, Goyals' lawyers Ravi Kadam and Aabad Ponda had submitted that the ECIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed with the Mumbai Police in 2018.

But in March 2020, the police filed a closure report stating they found no substance in the complaint and the dispute seemed to be civil in nature.

The report was accepted by a magistrate's court.

The police had registered the FIR against Goyals for alleged cheating and forgery on a complaint filed by Akbar Travels.

The travel agency had alleged that it suffered a loss of over Rs 46 crore after the airline cancelled flight operations from October 2018.