The Delhi High Court dismissed Sanjay Bhandari’s appeal challenging his designation as a fugitive economic offender. Upholding the trial court order, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna rejected the plea, with a detailed judgment yet to be released.
The Delhi High Court dismissed a challenge by UK‑based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari to a trial‑court order that had labelled him a “fugitive economic offender”.
“Appeal dismissed,” Justice Neena Bansal Krishna pronounced. A detailed judgment is awaited.
Background of the Case:
In July 2025, a trial court declared Bhandari a “fugitive economic offender” under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, following a petition by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Bhandari, who has been residing in the United Kingdom since departing India in 2016 after tax raids, contended that the FEO designation was legally untenable.
The ED registered a criminal case against Bhandari and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in February 2017, taking cognizance of an Income‑Tax chargesheet filed under the Black Money Act, 2015. Bhandari (63) left for London in 2016 soon after the Income‑Tax Department conducted raids in Delhi. The ED has attached assets linked to him valued at about Rs. 21 crore under the PMLA.
The ED filed its first chargesheet against Bhandari in 2020, after initiating inquiries into his alleged connections with Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. In 2023, a supplementary chargesheet claimed that Bhandari bought the property at 12 Bryanston Square in London in 2009 and carried out renovations “as per the directions of Robert Vadra and the funds for renovation were provided by Robert Vadra”.
While declaring him an FEO, the trial court observed that an accused who elects not to return to India cannot escape the legal consequences of that choice, including the operation of Section 14 of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
The July 5 order by District Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal of the Tis Hazari Courts held that he was satisfied Bhandari was a fugitive economic offender under Section 12(1) of the Act. The court also noted that although efforts to extradite Bhandari to India may not have succeeded, that does not render the “accused an angel or immune from the prosecution for the violation of Indian laws”.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, with Avneesh Arputham, Aparajita Jamwal and Ankit Sharma, represented Sanjay Bhandari. The ED was represented by Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain, Panel Counsel Vivek Gurnani and advocates Kartik Sabharwal, Pranjal Tripathi and Satyam.
Case Title: Sanjay Bhandari v. ED
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