1. This petition is filed seeking bail in Case No. ECIR/BGZO/13/2016 registered by the respondent, Enforcement Directorate, Bengaluru Zone (‘ED’ for short) against the petitioner for the offences punishable under Sections 3, 4 & 8 of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002 (‘PML Act’ for short).

2. Heard Shri C.V. Nagesh, learned Senior Counsel for Shri Sandeep Patil, Advocate for the petitioner and Shri S. Mahesh, learned standing Counsel for the respondent-ED.

3. The submissions of Shri C.V. Nagesh, learned Senior Counsel on behalf of the petitioner may be summarized as follows:

(i) Pursuant to an FIR in Crime No. RC 23(A)/2016 registered by the CBI against one Suryanarayana Bairy and Others, including the petitioner, ED also registered a case in No. ECIR/BGZO/13/2016 for offences punishable under the provisions of the PML Act.

(ii) Petitioner was taken into custody on 3.12.2016 and granted bail on 8.12.2016 by the Special Court. However, on the following day, petitioner and other accused were remanded to judicial custody till 22.12.2016 to facilitate a Special Publ