New Delhi, July 24, 2025: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea filed by alleged hawala operator Mohammad Aslam Wani seeking to quash a money laundering case against him. The court has asked the ED to respond by the next hearing on September 26.
Justice Sanjeev Narula passed the order after Wani argued that the basis for the ED’s case no longer exists. His counsel, advocate M.S. Khan, cited a 2010 trial court verdict that acquitted Wani of terror funding charges in a 2005 case. That verdict, Khan said, was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2017.
Khan contended that since Wani was acquitted of the scheduled offence—except for an Arms Act conviction—the PMLA case must also collapse, in line with established legal principles. “If the predicate offence does not stand, the money laundering proceedings cannot be sustained,” he said.
Wani also raised concerns over the slow progress of the trial, pointing out that only four of 33 prosecution witnesses have been examined since charges were framed in January 2017.
Wani and co-accused Shabir Shah, a senior Kashmiri separatist leader, were arrested by the ED in July 2017 in connection with an August 2005 case originally probed by the Delhi Police Special Cell. Wani was allegedly caught with ₹63 lakh in cash, believed to be hawala money routed from the Middle East, and a cache of ammunition.
He reportedly told investigators that the money was intended for Shah and a Jaish-e-Mohammad commander, with the rest being his commission. Wani also admitted to delivering ₹2.25 crore to Shah and his family in several instalments.
The ED filed its money laundering case in 2007, relying on the same allegations.
