Kapil Sibal claims arrest warrant for Mahadev’s Chandrakar is illegal
Bilaspur | Correspondent: In a hearing before Justice Ravindra Agrawal, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal representing Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, argued that the court has overstepped its jurisdiction by issuing non-bailable warrant against his clients.
Sibal pointed out that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued summon against Saurabh Chandrakar on September 1, 2023, despite knowing that Chandrakar was in Australia.
The summons required Chandrakar, who is a citizen of Vanuatu, to appear in court on September 2, followed by another summons for September 4.
Sibal further contended that the ED court in Raipur does not have the authority to direct the ED to arrest Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, as its jurisdiction does not extend beyond the region.
He emphasized that while the court has legal authority within its jurisdiction, it cannot mandate actions outside of it.
Additionally, Sibal stated that the process of extradition is the responsibility of the central government, which has yet to take any steps to extradite Saurabh Chandrakar from Vanuatu.
CBI Probing the case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was previously investigating the Mahadev app, but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has now also launched its probe.
The ED had alleged that the operators of the Mahadev app had transferred Rs 508 crore to then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The app has been implicated in involving numerous politicians, senior officials, police officers, and journalists.
Bhupesh Baghel claimed that Central government is responsible for banning the application suggesting it operated with the government’s consent.
Following these claims, the central government discussed measures to ban the app. However, during this period, the Mahadev app’s operators launched over a dozen new apps.
The Story of Mahadev App
Saurabh Chandrakar, a resident of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, and his partner Ravi Uppal are accused of running an online betting app called ‘Mahadev Gaming-Betting’ from Dubai.
The app reportedly has an annual turnover exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. Initially launched in Chhattisgarh, the business later expanded to Dubai and now operates in various cities across India and internationally.
The ED has conducted raids in multiple cities, recovering property worth several hundred crores and arresting numerous individuals, including police officers.
In Chhattisgarh people close to former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel are also being interrogated.
A police officer noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the ‘Mahadev App’ business experienced explosive growth, with betting surging to over Rs 2,000 crore during the IPL cricket season. The earnings from this business were reportedly invested in films and the hotel industry.
In August of the previous year, the ED first disclosed details about the Mahadev app investigations following the arrest of Chhattisgarh Police Assistant Sub Inspector Chandrabhushan Verma, Satish Chandrakar, and hawala operators Anil and Sunil Dammani under money laundering laws.
On September 15, the ED reported conducting raids in 39 cities, including Kolkata, Bhopal, and Mumbai, seizing cash, property, and other evidence worth Rs 417 crore.
The ED claimed that Chandrakar and Uppal’s M/s Mahadev Online Book operates from a central office in the UAE, distributing franchises to associates on a profit-sharing basis of 70:30.
The operation allegedly involves large-scale hawala transactions to funnel betting income to foreign accounts and significant cash expenditures for advertising betting websites in India.
In February 2023, Saurabh Chandrakar married in Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, with reports alleging that around Rs 200 crore was spent in cash for the ceremony.
Private jets were hired to transport family members from Nagpur to the UAE, and prominent film personalities were invited to the wedding, who have also been questioned by the ED.
