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Supreme Court seizes Amrapali office building, hospital, benami Goa villa

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Amrapali Silicon City

The Supreme Court attached real estate firm Amrapali Group’s 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, bank accounts, the building which houses its office, certain firms and a ‘benami’ villa in Goa.

The top court asked the chief financial officer (CFO) Chander Wadhwa to deposit Rs. 11.69 crore with its registry within three weeks, said media reports. It also asked a statutory auditor Anil Mittal to pay Rs. 47 lakh.

The court sought the presence of CMD Anil Sharma and two directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar on November 19.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and UU Lalit said that Amrapali Group has deliberately not complied with its earlier order and committed a “serious fraud” by diverting home-buyers’ money from one company to other.

Promoters of the group have been in police custody since October 9 in connection with the missing funds that they took from nearly 40,000 homebuyers whose flats are yet to be constructed.

“This is a serious kind of fraud,” judge Arun Misra said on Tuesday, after court-appointed auditors said the company continued to be uncooperative in efforts to trace the money given by investors.

The bench ordered that attachment of the group’s state-of-the-art, multi-speciality, 100-bed hospital situated at Greater Noida for which funds from Ultra Home Construction Pvt Ltd were utilised.

The bench also attached the bank accounts of Gauri Suta Infrastructures Pvt Ltd, its director Sunil Kumar and its assets after forensic auditors disclosed that Amrapali transferred home-buyers’ money from one firm to sister companies using it as conduit.

The top court also directed attachment of towers which housed the company’s office and ‘Aqua Fortis’ villa in Goa for no one came forward to claim ownership.

The court restrained the realty firm from alienating its companies through which it had transactions and ordered attachment of such firms. It also restrained Amrapali Group from creating any third party rights for 86 luxury cars and SUVs purchased from the company’s funds.

Forensic auditors Pawan Kumar Aggarwal and Ravi Bhatia, appointed by the court to look into the affairs of embattled firm, said that home-buyers’ money was given as advances to the tune of Rs. 442 crore to 15 companies and nine individuals from Amrapali Saphire project.

The report of forensic auditors said that Amrapali Infrastructure Pvt Ltd was the main company and around Rs. 2,000 crore were transferred from it to other sister companies.

Bhatia told the bench that a firm called ‘Stunning Construction Pvt Ltd’ did some “stunning work” as it paid income tax returns of the companies as well as directors and other individuals, for which it received Rs. 500 crore.

The bench then asked the forensic auditors to ascertain the investment of Amrapali in its projects and the “ghost” home buyers as the properties could have been sold to such benami persons to augment the value of company.

“They have created web of companies since 2010 to transfer funds from one project to another to circumvent the restrictions enforced in the Company’s Act,” the auditors told the bench, adding that promoters have also tried to avoid stamp duty by transferring the high value property to other company.

Aggarwal said that in the forensic audit they have found transactions of the Group with other 27 “dummy companies” and since last year the promoters of Amrapali have started withdrawing money from bank accounts of such companies.

Justice UU Lalit told the lawyers for Amrapali that the funds the company has spent to acquire property or create new companies will need to be refunded. “It should come back since the money belongs to the buyer. Therefore, all this (properties) have to be sold,” he said.

The court also pulled up the Group for filling 3000-4000 page affidavit with no requisite information and warned that directors may be sent behind bars for not disclosing the details sought by the court.

“We are giving one last opportunity to explain everything to the concerned directors and the Amrapali Group and comply with the orders of the court. It should also be explained as why contempt action should not be initiated against them,” the bench said.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on November 20.

On October 31, the apex court had directed the Amrapali Group to disclose the names of all the companies with which it had any kind of transactions after forensic auditors pointed out that there may be a web of more than 200-250 such firms where home-buyers’ money was transferred.

The two forensic auditors, appointed by the court to look into the affairs of Amrapali Group had said besides 47 sister companies, they stumbled upon 31 companies whose names were never disclosed by the embattled real estate firm.

The court was also told that there may be a case of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), as large amount of money was transferred to a multinational company based in Mauritius.

It questioned Wadhwa as to how a group company paid his income tax amounting to Rs. 2 crore, when he was earning only Rs. 50,000 per month.

It had also initiated contempt proceedings against Sharma and its directors for prima facie violating court’s order and thwarting the course of justice. The matter is listed on November 20.

The court is seized of a batch of petitions filed by home buyers who are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the Amrapali Group.

India News

Abhishek Banerjee says will not bow to BJP after nearly 11 hours of ED questioning

After spending nearly 11 hours before the Enforcement Directorate, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said he would not bow to the BJP and accused the ruling party of using investigative agencies for political purposes.

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Abhishek Banerjee

Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday said he would not bow to the BJP after spending nearly 11 hours being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an ongoing investigation.

Speaking after the questioning, Banerjee alleged that central agencies were being used to target opposition leaders and asserted that he would continue his political fight despite what he described as sustained pressure.

The TMC leader has repeatedly maintained that investigations involving him are politically motivated, a charge he has made on several previous occasions while appearing before central agencies.

His appearance before the ED comes amid a period of heightened political activity and multiple investigations involving leaders in West Bengal. Recent days have also seen Banerjee face summons and questioning in separate matters by state investigative agencies.

After leaving the ED office, Banerjee reiterated that he would not be intimidated and said he remained committed to his political responsibilities. He also accused the BJP of attempting to weaken opposition parties through investigative action, an allegation that the BJP has rejected in the past.

The Enforcement Directorate has not publicly commented on Banerjee’s remarks. The investigation related to the questioning remains ongoing.

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India News

DMK attacks Rahul Gandhi, accuses him of weakening opposition unity

DMK has intensified its criticism of Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress leader’s actions have weakened opposition unity and strained relations within the INDIA bloc.

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Rahul-Gandhi

The war of words between the DMK and Congress has intensified, with the DMK launching a strong attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and accusing him of contributing to divisions within the opposition alliance. The criticism comes amid strained ties between the two parties following their political split in Tamil Nadu.

According to the DMK, Rahul Gandhi’s political approach has weakened unity among opposition parties. The party’s IT wing mocked the Congress leader on social media, while an editorial published in the DMK’s official mouthpiece Murasoli questioned his recent remarks on opposition solidarity.

DMK questions Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on opposition unity

In its editorial, Murasoli argued that Rahul Gandhi was speaking about opposition unity despite, according to the DMK, contributing to disagreements among alliance partners in several states. The publication cited criticism directed at Congress by various opposition parties and suggested that the party’s actions had often created tensions within the INDIA bloc.

The editorial also referred to past political disputes involving Congress and Left parties, particularly in Kerala, claiming such episodes had raised concerns among opposition allies about Congress’s approach toward its partners.

Tamil Nadu political fallout adds to tensions

The attack comes after a major political realignment in Tamil Nadu. Following the 2026 Assembly elections, Congress ended its alliance with the DMK and joined the government led by Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The move left the DMK in the opposition and significantly altered the political equation between the two former allies.

The DMK has alleged that Congress benefited from the alliance during the election and later abandoned its partner. The party’s editorial questioned whether assurances from Congress leadership would be trusted by alliance partners after the developments in Tamil Nadu.

Congress rejects allegations

Congress has not issued a detailed official response to the editorial, but party sources have rejected the allegations. According to the party, its decisions in Tamil Nadu were made in line with the mandate delivered by voters and were not intended to undermine either the DMK or the broader opposition alliance.

The latest exchange highlights growing strains between two key opposition parties even as leaders continue to stress cooperation on national issues. Just days earlier, Rahul Gandhi had said that the DMK remained aligned with the opposition on defending the “idea of India” despite political differences.

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Entertainment

Kumkum Bhagya actor Sanchita Ugale dies by suicide near Mumbai at 22

Television actor Sanchita Ugale, known for Kumkum Bhagya and Wagle Ki Duniya, died by suicide at her residence near Mumbai. Police have launched an investigation.

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Sanchita Ugale

Television actor Sanchita Ugale, known for her appearances in Kumkum Bhagya, Wagle Ki Duniya and Dilwali Dulha Le Jayegi, died by suicide at her residence in Nalasopara East near Mumbai on June 14. She was 22.

According to police officials, the incident took place at her home in Achole village, Nalasopara East. Authorities said Ugale had locked herself inside her bedroom and was later found hanging from a ceiling fan. Family members and local residents rushed her to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Officials said inquiries are underway and the exact reason behind the incident has not yet been established.

Career across television, OTT and films

Ugale had built a growing presence in the entertainment industry through television, streaming projects and films. Apart from Kumkum Bhagya and Wagle Ki Duniya, she played a lead role in Dilwali Dulha Le Jayegi. She also appeared in OTT projects such as Crime Aaj Kal and Silence 2.

The actor was also associated with the film Chhaava, which contributed to her growing recognition among audiences.

Last social media post draws attention

Following news of her death, social media users shared and commented on Ugale’s final Instagram post, which had been uploaded hours before the incident. The post showed the actor in traditional attire lip-syncing to a classic Bollywood song. Fans expressed shock and grief after learning of her death.

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