The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on journalist Mahesh Langa’s plea concerning a money laundering case involving alleged financial fraud linked to the Enforcement Directorate in Ahmedabad, rescheduling it for April 7 at the request of the Solicitor General.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court postponed the hearing on journalist Mahesh Langa’s plea regarding a money laundering case linked to an alleged financial fraud filed by the Enforcement Directorate in Ahmedabad.
Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi delayed the proceedings until April 7, following a request from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and noted that the trial was ongoing.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is representing Langa, assured the court that the journalist was cooperating with the special court.
Also Read: Money Laundering Case: Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Journalist Mahesh Langa
Background of the Case:
Mahesh Prabhudan Langa is a Gujarat based journalist who was earlier widely known for his role as a senior correspondent with The Hindu in Ahmedabad. His legal troubles began in October 2024, when the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested him in connection with an alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud.
Investigators claimed that a firm named DA Enterprises, linked to his relatives but allegedly run by Langa, was used to artificially inflate expenditure figures and move money through shell companies.
During the investigation, authorities also reportedly recovered ₹20 lakh in unaccounted cash from his residence.
Following the GST case, several additional FIRs were lodged. Relying on those FIRs particularly those involving allegations of “cheating and criminal breach of trust” the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED alleged that Langa misused his journalistic influence to extort money by threatening to publish adverse reports unless payments were made. The agency subsequently filed a prosecution complaint and provisionally attached assets, including an office in Ahmedabad, asserting that these represented proceeds of crime.
Langa was formally arrested by the ED in February 2025 under PMLA. Prior to this arrest, he had already been taken into custody in the GST case in October 2024 and was simultaneously facing multiple ongoing investigations.
The Gujarat High Court refused to grant him regular bail in the money laundering matter, citing the gravity of the accusations, inconsistencies regarding the seized cash, and apprehensions that his release could interfere with the investigation.
Langa then approached the Supreme Court of India challenging the High Court’s decision.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court issued notices to both the Gujarat government and the ED on his bail plea, during which his journalistic credentials also came under scrutiny in court discussions.
Subsequently, in December 2025, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail, imposing strict conditions such as refraining from publishing or writing about the case, ensuring his presence for day-to-day hearings, and warning that any violation could result in cancellation of bail.
The matter will be heard on April 7.