Allahabad High Court Refuses To Quash ED Proceedings In Grand Venice Noida Case

The Allahabad High Court has declined to quash proceedings initiated by the ED under the PMLA, 2002, concerning FIRs linked to the Grand Venice project in Greater Noida.

The project involves a theme-based commercial mall and a tower developed on land allotted by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority. An FIR was lodged in 2015 alleging offences under Sections 406 and 420 IPC, followed by multiple similar FIRs between 2015 and 2019.

The petition challenged the ECIR, search and seizure actions, and non-bailable warrants, arguing that only Section 406 IPC survived and it is not a scheduled offence.

The Court noted that PMLA proceedings require a scheduled offence as a basis and directed the ED to refrain from coercive action until charges are framed.