No relief for now for Punjab cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora: the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed the Sanjeev Arora Bail Plea, and the reasons will be known only when the detailed order is uploaded.
Chandigarh: Punjab minister and AAP leader Sanjeev Arora, who is lodged in Bhondsi Jail, Gurugram, in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has failed to obtain relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which on October 16 dismissed his plea against his arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) [Sanjeev Arora v. Directorate of Enforcement].
The relief was denied by Justice Kuldeep Tiwari. Arora had asked for his arrest, the grounds of arrest and the remand order to be quashed, alleging violation of statutory safeguards and fundamental rights. Since the detailed order had not been uploaded when this report was filed, the reasons are not yet known.
What the dismissal settles, and what it leaves open
For now, the dismissal closes Arora’s attempt before the High Court to have the arrest set aside and to secure release. What the Court made of the Section 19 safeguards, the grounds of arrest and the twin conditions of Section 45 will be clear only once the detailed order is available.
The ED’s case, and Arora’s answer
Hampton Sky Realty Limited (HSRL), of which Arora was promoter and former chairman, is at the centre of the ED probe. HSRL exported Apple and Samsung phones worth about Rs 102.50 crore to UAE-based buyers in 43 shipments between May and October 2023. According to the ED, the export proceeds were falsely claimed through shell suppliers and forged invoices. Arora says the exports were genuine and cleared by Customs, and that proceeds of crime have not been established. These are allegations and contentions; none has been tested at trial.
In April 2026 the ED conducted FEMA searches at Arora’s Ludhiana residence, his son’s Gurugram residence and the HSRL office. A related FIR was followed by an ECIR in May 2026, the provisional attachment of HSRL’s bank accounts and Arora’s properties, and his arrest under Section 19 of the PMLA on May 9. Arora contends that nothing incriminating was recovered from his residence and that the FIR was registered within 82 minutes of a complaint without independent verification. His separate petition to quash that FIR is pending before the High Court.
Bail refused below, medical bail declined above
Regular bail was refused on June 15 by the Special PMLA Court at Gurugram, presided over by Special Judge Narender Sura, which found a prima facie case and held that it could not record the satisfaction Section 45 of the PMLA requires. The court also cited an ED allegation of attempts to influence a witness, which Arora’s side disputes.
The Supreme Court then directed an AIIMS Medical Board to examine Arora on July 20. On July 28, a Bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and N. Kotiswar Singh declined medical bail, recording the Centre’s undertaking that he would get the best possible treatment and noting that his regular bail plea was listed before the High Court on August 5.
Why the order matters
How closely courts check compliance with Section 19 of the PMLA when a sitting minister challenges an arrest or seeks bail is the question the case puts to the test. The allegations against Arora remain untested, the Court has expressed no view on the final merits, and the presumption of innocence continues to apply.
Case Title: Sanjeev Arora v. Directorate of Enforcement
Bench: Justice Kuldeep Tiwari, Punjab and Haryana High Court
Date of Order: October 16, 2026