Latest news with #CHIL
The Print
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
ED takes lesson from Datar & Venugopal episodes, director's nod now must to summon advocates
The move followed strong condemnation by several associations of lawyers of the ED summons issued to two senior advocates in connection with a money-laundering probe. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday issued a circular to its officers instructing them not to summon any advocate as part of the investigation, as it could amount to a violation of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). The ED circular, a copy of which has been seen by ThePrint, further said that, in exceptional circumstances, when summons have to be issued, it can only be done after the approval of the agency director. From Section 132, 'it is amply clear that a legal practitioner cannot be compelled to disclose any communication made to him in the course and for the purpose of his professional service as such legal practitioner, by or on behalf of his client unless with his client's express consent. However, proviso to Section 132 of the BSA, 2023 has carved out certain exceptions,' said the circular issued by ED's legal wing to field officers. 'In view of the above, it is directed that no summons shall be issued to any advocate in violation of Section 132. Further, if any summon needs to be issued under the exceptions carved out in proviso to Section 132 of the BSA, the same shall be issued with the prior approval of the Director, ED,' it added. The development comes at a time when the ED has drawn criticism from the legal community over summoning senior advocates Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal in its probe into dealings of Care Health Insurance (CHIL) and its parent company, Religare Enterprises (REL). Both summonses have been withdrawn. In a letter dated 16 June, the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association expressed 'strong disapproval' of the summons to Datar and said it reflected 'a disturbing trend of investigative overreach'. ThePrint had earlier reported that the ED has been probing money laundering allegations against these firms, including the transfer of shares worth crores to former CHIL non-executive chairperson and REL executive chairperson Rashmi Saluja despite the request being rejected by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The former board of CHIL cited an opinion that it had sought from Datar to grant shares to Saluja. According to the ED, Datar said IRDAI's approval was not needed since the shares were being granted in her capacity as an REL employee, and not CHIL. Separately, Venugopal was summoned in his capacity as the former independent director of CHIL to understand the circumstances behind the share transfer, the ED spokesperson said. In a statement Friday, the ED spokesperson said, 'In view of the fact that Shri Pratap Venugopal is a Senior Advocate in the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the summons issued to him has been withdrawn and same has been communicated to him. 'In the said communication, it has also been stated that if any documents will be required from him in his capacity as an Independent Director of CHIL, the same will be requested from him to be submitted by email.' (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: ED's now-withdrawn summons to Arvind Datar: The case, controversy & SC advocates body letter
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Summons sent to lawyer for his role as co's ind dir: ED
Representative Image NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism, Enforcement Directorate Friday said it issued summons to senior advocate Pratap Venugopal as part of its ongoing investigation against Care Health Insurance Ltd (CHIL) in which Venugopal was an independent director. ED's Mumbai zonal office is conducting a money laundering investigation in which it has been alleged that shares of CHIL were issued at a much lower price in the form of ESOPs on May 1, 2022, in spite of the rejection of the same by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). "As part of the investigation, summons was issued to Pratap Venugopal, an independent director of CHIL, to understand the circumstances under which the company has issued ESOPs despite its rejection by IRDAI and subsequent discussions in the board of CHIL in this regard," the agency said about the summons which it withdrew after protests by lawyers' bodies. In a statement, the agency emphasised that IRDAI on July 23, 2024, had directed CHIL to revoke or cancel any ESOPs that were yet to be allotted and had also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on CHIL for non-compliance with regulatory directions. "In view of the fact that Pratap Venugopal is a senior advocate in Supreme Court, the summons issued to him has been withdrawn and the same has been communicated to him," the agency said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In the said communication, it was also stated that if any documents were required from him in his capacity as an independent director of CHIL, the same would be requested to be submitted by email, the agency added. Further, ED has asked its units not to issue summons to lawyers, saying summoning them would be violative of Section 132 of Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. "If any summons needs to be issued under the exceptions carved out in proviso to Section 132 of Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, the same shall be issued only with the prior approval of the director, ED," the agency said.
India Today
20-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
ED bars summons to advocates, exceptions need director's approval under law
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued a circular instructing its field formations not to issue summons to any advocate in violation of Section 132 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. This section states that no advocate, at any point of time, should disclose any communication made to him without the client's circular mandates that any summons under the exceptions to this provision require prior approval from the Director of the Enforcement comes amid the probe agency's investigation into a money laundering case involving Care Health Insurance Ltd (CHIL) concerning the issuance of Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) at significantly undervalued prices. The case centres around the Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) issued on May 1, 2022, which were reportedly priced much lower than market value. This issuance allegedly took place despite a formal rejection of the ESOP proposal by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).As part of the ongoing probe, the ED summoned Pratap Venugopal, an independent director of CHIL, to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the ESOPs and the board's discussions following IRDAI's rejection. However, given that Venugopal is a senior advocate practicing in the Supreme Court, the summons issued to him has now been ED said that any documents required from him in his capacity as an independent director will be requested via July 23 last year, the IRDAI directed CHIL to revoke or cancel any ESOPs that remain unallotted. In addition, the regulator imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on CHIL for non-compliance with its Watch
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Officers told to get director's approval before sending summons to lawyers: ED
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has directed its investigating officers not to issue summons to any advocate in violation of the protection extended to advocate-client privileges under Section 132 of the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BNS) and stipulated that summons could only be issued to lawyers under the exceptions provided in the law after the director's approval. Enforcement Directorate (FILE IMAGE) The circular to the federal agency's field formations came hours after ED withdrew the summons issued to two senior lawyers, Arvind Datar and Pratap Venugopal, after the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association (SCAORA) asked Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai to take up the case. Section 132 of BNS protects the advocate-client privilege and bars lawyers from disclosing communications between them and their clients. However, the section provides for three exceptions when this protection from disclosure shall not apply. In a statement, ED said Friday's circular was issued for guidance of field formations on Section 132 of BNS. 'Further if any summons needs to be issued under the exceptions carved out in proviso to Section 132 of the BSA, 2023, the same shall be issued only with the prior approval of the Director, ED,' the agency statement said. The agency also clarified that the summons were issued to Venugopal in his capacity as independent director of Care Health Insurance Ltd (CHIL), and not as a lawyer. 'In view of the fact that Pratap Venugopal is a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court, the summons issued to him has been withdrawn and same has been communicated to him,' ED said. 'In the said communication, it has also been stated that if any documents will be required from him in his capacity as an independent director of CHIL, the same will be requested from him to be submitted by email,' the agency said. The financial crimes probe agency is looking into money laundering allegations in connection with a case in which shares of Care Health Insurance Ltd (CHIL) were issued at a much lower price in the form of ESOPs on May 1, 2022, despite the rejection of the same by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
Fox News
13-04-2025
- Science
- Fox News
Experts shocked by ancient King Arthur manuscript found tucked inside book: 'Survived the centuries'
Historians recently unveiled a rare 13th-century document depicting the tales of King Arthur and Merlin – and its survival is considered a miracle. The discovery was announced by the University of Cambridge on March 25. The manuscript is part of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, a French-language rendering of the story of King Arthur. Arthur has been depicted as a legendary Briton king for several centuries, though his existence has been doubted by most historians. In 2019, the fragile manuscript was discovered in an unlikely place in a Cambridge library – tucked in as the binding for an old book. "The manuscript had survived the centuries after being recycled and repurposed in the 1500s as the cover for a property record from Huntingfield Manor in Suffolk, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham," the university's statement noted. "It meant the remarkable discovery was folded, torn and even stitched into the binding of the book - making it almost impossible for Cambridge experts to access it, read it or confirm its origins," the university said in a news release. Thanks to modern technology – including multi-spectral imaging, computed tomography and 3D modeling – experts were able to scan and create a virtual image of the manuscript without risking any damage to it. "Using mirrors, prisms, magnets and other tools, the team at CHIL [Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory] carefully photographed each section of the fragment," the university said. "The hundreds of resulting images were then painstakingly reassembled digitally, much like a jigsaw, to create a coherent image of the text." "By manipulating the digital images, the team could simulate what the document might look like if it were physically opened." Each copy of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin was unique, as they were individually handwritten by medieval scribes, and fewer than 40 copies are known to exist. The Cambridge copy was written between 1275 and 1315. "The text is written in Old French, the language of the court and aristocracy in medieval England following the Norman Conquest," the news release said. "This particular fragment belongs to the genre of Arthurian romances [that] were intended for a noble audience, including women." The university added that the manuscript "tells two key episodes from the end of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin." "The first part recounts the victory of the Christians against the Saxons at the Battle of Cambénic," the statement reads. "It tells of the fight of Gauvain (with his sword Excalibur, his horse Gringalet and his supernatural powers), his brothers, and his father King Loth, against the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés and Brandalus." It went on, "The second passage presents a more courtly scene, set on the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with Merlin appearing at Arthur's court disguised as a harpist – a moment that highlights his magical abilities and his importance as an advisor to the king." The University of Cambridge even included a translated passage from the book – which painted a vivid scene of life in medieval England. "While they were rejoicing in the feast, and Kay the seneschal brought the first dish to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, there arrived the most handsome man ever seen in Christian lands," the passage read. "He was wearing a silk tunic girded by a silk harness woven with gold and precious stones which glittered with such brightness that it illuminated the whole room." The fragile document even contains small errors – such as calling the Saxon king Dodalis "Dorilas" – but those errors will only help specialists trace the manuscript's lineage. "As every manuscript of the period was copied by hand, it means each one is distinctive and reflects the variations introduced by medieval scribes," the British university said. "The way the manuscript has been carefully executed, with decorated initials in red and blue, gave further clues to its origins and helped indicate that it was produced between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century."
