Overview

• Justice Amit Borkar ordered Patker’s release on a ₹1 lakh personal bond with conditions to secure his appearance at trial.
• The bench noted prima facie evidence of money laundering yet held that prolonged detention was unjustified given the completed investigation and stalled trial schedule.
• Patker was arrested in July 2023 by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged fraud at a Mumbai COVID-19 jumbo centre, where his firm is accused of under-deploying staff and issuing fake bills to siphon ₹32 crore.
• A special PMLA court had denied bail in November 2024 after finding that Patker and his partners had entered a criminal conspiracy that endangered public health.
• The ED’s Economic Offences Wing continues to press money laundering charges even as the trial has yet to begin.