GURUGRAM, May 18, 2026 – A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court has remanded Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora to 14 days of judicial custody following his nine-day stint in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate.
Special Judge Narendra Sura directed that the lawmaker be held at the Bhondsi District Jail until June 1, accepting the federal anti-money laundering agency’s argument that his release could compromise the ongoing investigation. The enforcement agency asserted before the court that the senior lawmaker had shown non-cooperative behavior during his interrogation and noted that the continuous restriction of his movement remains necessary to safeguard evidence.
“Since the investigation is still pending, and the ground for seeking grant of judicial custody is sufficient, the request of complainant-Directorate of Enforcement, for grant of judicial custody of the accused is hereby accepted,” Judge Sura declared in the formal order.
The dynamic of the probe is expanding into state infrastructure departments, with the enforcement agency issuing summonses to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited Chairman Basant Garg and Director Harsharan Kaur Trehan to appear for questioning on May 20. Investigators are examining specific financial relaxations and the handling of bank guarantees allegedly extended by Powercom to a commercial firm associated with the minister.
Arora was taken into custody on May 9 from his official Chandigarh residence in connection with an alleged 100-crore rupees financial fraud. The case stems from an investigation involving simulated Goods and Services Tax transactions, fake invoice generation, and suspected round-tripping of capital via international shell companies.
The minister has since petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court to challenge the statutory validity of his arrest, asserting that the enforcement action bypassed standard legislative safeguards. In the interim, the court directed prison administrators to provide necessary medical accommodation to the minister, who requires structured treatments for type-2 diabetes.
