Days after he rejected Congress leader P Chidambaram's anticipatory bail plea in the INX media case, now-retired Justice Sunil Gaur was appointed the chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal for Prevention of Money laundering Act (ATPMLA) on Wednesday, 28 August, sources told The Quint.
Gaur, 62, who retired on 22 August had described former Finance Minister Chidambaram as the “kingpin” or “key conspirator” in the INX media case, according to PTI.
Chidambaram's lawyers had alleged that Gaur reproduced CBI's arguments verbatim.
Chidambaram was granted interim protection from arrest by Enforcement Directorate (ED) till Wednesday, 28 August.
On 26 August, the apex court extended the CBI's cutody of Chidambaram for 4 days.
Gaur’s Role in Multiple High-Profile Cases
Gaur has adjudged several high profile cases in his career. His area of expertise lay in dealing with corruption cases, including the money laundering case against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi that sparked controversy inside CBI last year, reported The Print.
Gaur is known to have passed an order clearing the decks for prosecution of top Congress leaders including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
He had also denied anticipatory bail to businessman Ratul Puri, nephew of senior Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, in the AgustaWestland chopper scam.
Earlier this month, Gaur had set aside a trial court order allowing criminal prosecution of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and its then three senior officials for reportedly possessing secret documents pertaining to cabinet meetings on economic issues.
The former Delhi High Court judge begun his career at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1984 and joined the Delhi Higher Judicial Service in 1995.
Gaur was elevated to the High Court in April 2008. He was designated as a permanent judge on 11 April 2012.
(With inputs from The Print, PTI).
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