Rana Ayyub

SC dismisses Rana Ayyub's plea challenging Ghaziabad special court summons

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging summons by the Ghaziabad special court in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and JB Pardiwala allowed Ayyub to raise the issue of jurisdiction before the trial court, saying it is a question of evidence. On January 31, the top court had reserved its verdict on a plea of Ayyub challenging the summons. On January 25, the top court had asked a special court in Ghaziabad to adjourn the proceedings in the money laundering case against Ayyub scheduled for hearing on January 27 to a date after January 31. In her writ petition, Ayyub has sought quashing of the proceedings initiated by the ED in Ghaziabad citing lack of jurisdiction as the alleged offence of money laundering occurred in Mumbai. On November 29 last year, the special PMLA court in Ghaziabad took cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED and summoned Ayyub. The ED charge sheet was filed

SC reserves verdict on plea of journalist Rana Ayyub against summons

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a plea of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued by a special court in Ghaziabad in the money laundering case. A bench of Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice J B Pardiwala said it will pass orders on the plea. During the hearing, advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, submitted, "Can her personal liberty be deprived by a procedure not authorised by law?" She submitted that the Ghaziabad special court has no jurisdiction to try the offence as the alleged act is said to have been committed in Mumbai. Grover said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the journalist's personal bank account in a bank at Navi Mumbai in which around Rs 1 crore was lying. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, said the prosecution complaint has been filed in the Ghaziabad court by the agency as part of the cause of action had arisen in Uttar Pradesh, where a lot of people, including from Ghaziabad, contribute

ED case against Rana Ayyub: SC asks Ghaziabad court to adjourn proceedings

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked a special court in Ghaziabad, which has summoned journalist Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for January 27 to a date after January 31. The apex court said it will hear on January 31 the petition of Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by the special court. A bench of Justices Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramanian was informed by advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, that the petitioner has been summoned by the Ghaziabad court on January 27. "List on January 31. In the meantime, the Ghaziabad special court is requested to adjourn the proceedings...fixed for January 27 to a date after January 31," the bench said. The top court said this order is being passed because the hearing could not be concluded before it on Wednesday due to paucity of time and it is not a reflection on the merits of the matter. At the outset, the bench asked why the petition

SC to hear journalist Rana Ayyub's plea in money laundering case on Jan 25

The Supreme Court Monday said it will hear on January 25 the petition of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad in a money laundering case lodged by the ED. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, and Justices V Ramasubramanian and J B Pardiwala, posted the matter after senior advocate Vrinda Karat mentioned it. Karat told the court that the Bench which was scheduled to hear the matter Monday was not available, and requested the bench to post the matter for hearing later today at 2 pm. "We will keep this day after tomorrow before an appropriate bench. Today will be difficult," the bench said. On January 17, a bench led by CJI Chandrachud had agreed to consider listing the plea of Ayyub for urgent hearing after taking note of the submissions of advocate Vrinda Grover who appeared for her. Grover had said a summons was issued by the special court in Ghaziabad against Ayyub for January 27 and therefore the matter be listed .

SC agrees to hear plea of journalist Rana Ayyub in money laundering case

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the petition of journalist Rana Ayyub challenging the summons issued to her by a special PMLA court in Ghaziabad in a money laundering case lodged against her by ED

Indian journalist Rana Ayyub receives support from US Senator Patrick Leahy

A prominent US Senator has expressed support for Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, noting that her work is driven by a sense of purpose and a love for her country and the ideals for which it stands. In a statement on Thursday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said, Rana Ayyub is an award-winning Indian journalist who has courageously reported on religious violence, extrajudicial killings, and other matters of public interest in India. Her important work is driven by a sense of purpose and a love for her country and the ideals for which it stands. Yet she faces online harassment and trolling, death threats, and baseless government retaliation for her reporting," Leahy said. "Despite the immense pressure to silence her by government officials who should be protecting her, she continues to expose the abuses of those in power, the Senator from Vermont added. Citing the Committee to Protect Journalists, Leahy said that in 2022 alone at least 38 journalists were killed, 294 were imprisoned,

ED files chargesheet against journalist Rana Ayyub in money laundering case

Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in Special Court, Ghaziabad on Wednesday.ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered on September 7, 2021 by the Indirapuram police station, Ghaziabad, UP, under various sections of IPC 1860, Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 and Black Money Act against Rana Ayyub alleging that she illegally acquired funds from the general public in the name of charity by launching fund-raiser campaigns on an online crowdfunding platform-'Ketto'.It was also alleged that Rana Ayyub is a journalist by profession and received foreign contributions without registration under FCRA. ED investigation revealed that Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April 2020, and collected funds totalling to Rs 2.70 crore. She collected funds in the name of helping slum dwellers and farmers, relief

ED chargesheets against Rana Ayyub; says she used public funds for herself

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the anti-money laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law. The federal agency filed its prosecution complaint against Ayyub before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 12. "Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April, 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680," the ED said in a statement issued on Thursday. The campaigns, it said, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and help Ayyub and her team to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India. Probe found, the agency said, that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of Ayyub's father and sister and subsequently transferred to her persona

Delhi HC restrains ED from taking steps on attaching Ayyub's properties

The Delhi High Court restrained the ED from going forward with the provisional attachment of funds of journalist Rana Ayyub under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act

Rana Ayyub moves Delhi High Cout challenging ED attachment of funds

Journalist Rana Ayyub moved the Delhi High Court challenging the attachment of funds by the Enforcement Directorate

Media dissent at home and abroad

There could be further leaks on Pegasus in the American media, following the one in the New York Times in January

Delhi HC allows Rana Ayyub to travel abroad, but on certain conditions

Earlier, the bench had asked the ED to file a status report on its case against her by 2.30 p.m. on April 4

ED stops journalist Rana Ayyub from flying abroad, asks her to join probe

Ayyub posted about the incident on her Twitter handle

Rana Ayyub is among a number of female journalists routinely trolled

The latest episode has been viewed as especially disturbing as it sprang from a "fake" tweet attributed to her