Alamgir Alam’s discharge plea rejected by Supreme Court in money laundering case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere with a Jharkhand High Court order dismissing former minister Alamgir Alam's discharge plea in a money laundering case linked to an alleged tender scam. The ED has alleged commission collection from contractors

New Delhi: In a setback to former Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to interfere with the High Court order dismissing his discharge plea in a money laundering case.

The PMLA case against Alam is linked to an alleged tender scam. His request to be discharged from the case has consequently been rejected.

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A Bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu heard the matter and declined to grant relief to the former minister.

Earlier, a special PMLA court in Ranchi had rejected Alam’s discharge application. Subsequently, the Jharkhand High Court also refused to interfere with that order and dismissed his plea.

According to the High Court’s May 6 judgment, material placed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) included documents and statements relating to the alleged collection of commissions in exchange for the award of tenders and Alam’s alleged role in the arrangement.

The court observed that at the stage of considering a discharge plea, it is required only to determine whether a prima facie case exists against the accused.

The ED’s investigation reportedly involved searches conducted at multiple locations in May 2024, during which around Rs 37.55 crore in cash was allegedly recovered.

According to the agency, the probe uncovered an alleged mechanism for collecting commissions from contractors in return for the allotment of tenders in the Rural Works Department.

The ED has alleged that commissions amounting to roughly 3.2 per cent of the total tender value were collected, of which about 1.5 per cent was earmarked for the then minister.

The High Court judgment also referred to statements and documents submitted by the ED.

It held that, on the basis of the material available on record, Alam’s alleged involvement could not be ruled out at this stage.

The court, however, clarified that these observations do not amount to findings on guilt and are limited to an assessment of whether sufficient prima facie material exists to proceed with the trial.