Mumbai, July 28 (IANS) Actor and businessman Raj Kundra has challenged the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court cognizance in alleged INR 185-crore bitcoin case. The actor, who is also the husband of actress Shilpa Shetty, has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the Special PMLA Court’s order of January 5, 2026.
A supplementary complaint against Kundra was filed in September 2025. He has stated that the Special PMLA Court failed to comply with mandatory requirements under Section 223(1) of the BNSS, which renders the cognizance order liable to be quashed. He has sought quashing of the January 5, 2026 cognizance order and related relief.
A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act took cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) supplementary prosecution complaint against the businessman. The ED has alleged that he received 285 Bitcoins, allegedly linked to proceeds of crime, for setting up a failed Bitcoin mining project in Ukraine.
The agency claimed he could not account for the cryptocurrency or disclose the relevant wallet details.
The recent petition was argued by advocate Prashant Patil, and was listed before Justice Ashwin Bhobe. The High Court admitted the writ petition and issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate to file its reply. The matter is posted for hearing on August 6, 2026.
–IANS
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