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Mr. Ashok Chakraborty, Additional Solicitor General Mr. Arun Kumar Maity Ms. M. Datta .... For the U.O.I. The petitioner is a learned advocate practising in this court. Between 2014 and 2017 he had been engaged to do legal work for a company Pincon Spirits Limited, now in liquidation.

At the time of admission of the writ application, Mr. Dhiraj Trivedi, learned Deputy Solicitor General raised the point of jurisdiction or determination of this court to take up this matter. He submitted that the cause of action in this writ application arose from the diverse summons issued under Section 50(2) of The Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 against the writ petitioner by the Enforcement Directorate on an investigation into money laundering under Section 3 of the said Act. He had been summoned in connection with his receipt of a sum of Rs.83,25,000/- from the Pincon Spirits Limited which subsequently went into liquidation. He submitted that this investigation by the Enforcement Directorate had nothing to do with any ponzi matter.

Mr. Jayanta Mitra, learned senior advocate for the writ petitioner drew our attention to the press release dated 3rd March, 2023 issued by the Directorate of the Enforcement. It is in the following terms :

"Directorate of Enforcement(ED) has conducted searches on 01.03.2023 at 15 premises consisting of residences and offices at various locations in Kolkata, Siliguri, Howrah and Agra against two chit fund companies i.e. Pincon Group and Tower Infotech Ltd. under PMLA, 2002.

Ed had recorded money laundering case against Tower Infotech Ltd. and Pincon Group on the basis of FIRs registered by CBI and West Bengal Police for misappropriating Rs. 156 crore and 638 crore respectively collected from its investors.

The above chit fund companies have collected money from public by luring them with attractive schemes and offering very high rates of interest. These two companies have cheated the public by not returning the money.

Searches were carried out at the residences of directors of Pincon Group and Tower Group which includes Manoranjan Roy, Hari Singh and beneficiaries Subharti Banerjee, Sanjay Basu & Mina Dey and Ramendu Chattopadhyay and beneficiaries of Eden Infraprojects Pvt ltd, its directors Indrajit De & Sachchidanand Rai, Indian Structural Engineering Company Pvt Ltd and Ashish Wheels Ltd.

As a result of search, incriminating documents, digital evidence consisting of mobile phones and laptops and cash of Rs.1.27 crore were seized.

Further investigation is in progress. "

Mr. Mitra argued that it was evident from this document that the investigation by the Enforcement Directorate was in connection with a ponzi scam in which Pincon was allegedly involved To this Mr. Dhiraj Trivedi replied that the impugned investigation ECIR/KLZO-1/29/2021 was separate and had got nothing to do with the ponzi scam with which the Pincon Group was allegedly involved.