New Delhi: On Monday, the Delhi High Court allowed Journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad. Against the Enforcement Directorate’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, “There is nothing to show that Ayyub was evading or avoiding the ED”. The lawyer added, “The Look Out Circular was issued on March 28 because the journalist had announced her programme on social media”.
The bench of justice CD Singh allowed Rana Ayyub to travel.
“Deposit some money. Also inform agencies, where you’re staying. Share phone number etc.,” the Judge said orally.
The money laundering case against Rana is based on a First Information Report or FIR filed by Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad Police in September, by Vikas Sankrityayan – the founder of an NGO called “Hindu IT Cell” and a resident of Indirapuram in Ghaziabad.
According to a document attributed to “ED sources”, the agency which investigates financial crimes found that the journalist had raised over ₹ 2.69 crores through an online crowdfunding platform called Ketto for charitable purposes between 2020 and 2021.
Rana has maintained that the “entire donation received through Ketto is accounted for and not a single penny has been misused”.
Last Month Rana Ayyub had filed a written complaint with the Mumbai Police, citing “targeted harassment” and “fake news” spread against her by a website called The Scoop Beats, which has allegedly led to a barrage of abuse and threats. The journalist’s primary point of contention was a video posted on The Scoop Beats’ YouTube channel and social media, titled ‘Saudi Arabia Banned Rana Ayyub’, which she said contains photoshopped tweets of her expressing hate for India.
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