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Delhi court allows confiscation of assets linked to fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari
A Delhi court on May 5, 2026 allowed the Enforcement Directorate to confiscate properties belonging to UK-based arms dealer and fugitive Sanjay Bhandari in a money laundering case. The court split the assets into two lists, List A and List B, and reserved decision on remaining assets for July 18. The ED had alleged benami properties and proceeds of crime across India and abroad.
Why It Matters
The ruling demonstrates the use of the fugitive economic offender framework to pursue assets across jurisdictions and signals the authorities’ ongoing enforcement in high-profile corruption cases.
Timeline
3 Events
Delhi court allows confiscation of assets in ED money laundering case
May 5, 2026
A Rouse Avenue Court special judge Sanjay Jindal directed confiscation of certain properties located in India and abroad. The ED stated that Bhandari owned multiple benami properties in Noida, Gurugram, Delhi, the UK and Dubai, along with alleged bank accounts and jewellery acquired as proceeds of crime, and sought confiscation. The court noted the two-list division for confiscation and said a detailed order was awaited, with a decision on the remaining assets reserved for July 18.
Court reserved its decision on remaining assets for July 18
July 18, 2023
The court had divided Bhandari’s properties sought for confiscation into two categories — List A and List B — and reserved its decision on the remaining assets to be examined on July 18.
Sanjay Bhandari declared Fugitive Economic Offender by Delhi court
July 5, 2023
A Delhi court declared UK-based arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari a fugitive economic offender, enabling the ED to confiscate his properties across jurisdictions that are proceeds of crime or benami in nature. The FEO tag also bars him from defending any civil suit in India.