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In Setback For ED, Delhi HC Permits Journalist Rana Ayyub To Travel Abroad

New Delhi: On Monday, the Delhi High Court allowed Journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad. Against the Enforcement Directorateโ€™s action, Rana Ayyub had filed a plea. ED was restraining her from leaving the country.

Rana Ayyub is accused of a money laundering case. The case is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. On March 29 she was stopped at the airport from flying to London. She was invited by the Washington-based non-profit, International Centre for Journalists, for discussing online violence against women journalists. She was going to attend International Journalism Festival and was going to deliver the keynote speech on Indian democracy. Rana has often tweeted that she faced online harassment and death threats from trolls.

Advocate Vrinda Grover, appearing for Ayyub, argued that her client has constantly been in touch with ED. She has always been present for questioning. 

ED said that in the ongoing money laundering case, Rana Ayyub is evading the probe. However, Vrinda Grover denied the argument by the ED that Ayyub was not willing to join the investigation.

She said, โ€œThere is nothing to show that Ayyub was evading or avoiding the EDโ€. The lawyer added, โ€œThe Look Out Circular was issued on March 28 because the journalist had announced her programme on social mediaโ€.

The bench of justice CD Singh allowed Rana Ayyub to travel.

โ€œDeposit some money. Also inform agencies, where youโ€™re staying. Share phone number etc.,โ€ the Judge said orally.

The money laundering case against Rana is based on a First Information Report or FIR filed by Uttar Pradeshโ€™s Ghaziabad Police in September, by Vikas Sankrityayan โ€“ the founder of an NGO called โ€œHindu IT Cellโ€ and a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.

According to a document attributed to โ€œED sourcesโ€, the agency which investigates financial crimes found that the journalist had raised over โ‚น 2.69 crores through an online crowdfunding platform called Ketto for charitable purposes between 2020 and 2021.

Rana has maintained that the โ€œentire donation received through Ketto is accounted for and not a single penny has been misusedโ€.

Last Month Rana Ayyub had filed a written complaint with the Mumbai Police, citing โ€œtargeted harassmentโ€ and โ€œfake newsโ€ spread against her by a website called The Scoop Beats, which has allegedly led to a barrage of abuse and threats. The journalistโ€™s primary point of contention was a video posted on The Scoop Beatsโ€™ YouTube channel and social media, titled โ€˜Saudi Arabia Banned Rana Ayyubโ€™, which she said contains photoshopped tweets of her expressing hate for India.

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