Judge who denied bail to PC tipped to head PMLA Tribunal

The government is believed to have appointed Justice Sunil Gaur, who had rejected the bail plea of former finance minister P Chidambaram in the INX Media case, as chairman of the PMLA Appellate Tribunal.

While no government notification or order appointing Gaur as chairman has been made public so far, sources in the know said the appointment has been cleared.

Once the formal order comes, he will replace Justice Manmohan Singh who joined as chairman on September 22, 2016 for a three-year term.

A finance ministry spokesperson did not take calls made to confirm the appointment.

Justice Gaur retired as a Delhi high court judge on August 22, two days after he rejected Chidambaram's plea for anticipatory bail and said the former finance minister appeared to be the kingpin in the INX Media case.

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson and Supreme Court lawyer Brijesh Kalappa said in a tweet, 'Which is the only job in the world in which you get highest marks if you copy-paste the answer sheet provided to you? Judgeship BTW Heartfelt congratulations to Justice Sunil Gaur for his appointment as Chairman, Appelate PMLA within a week of his retirement.'

In his order on August 20, Justice Gaur had dismissed Chidambaram's plea to grant him interim protection from arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the INX Media case.

Justice Gaur has heard several high profile cases. He had also passed an order clearing the decks for the prosecution of top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, in the National Herald case.

Justice Gaur was elevated to the Delhi high court in April 2008. He was designated as a permanent judge in April 2012.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Appellate Tribunal comprises a chairman (who is or has been a Judge of the high court or Supreme Court) and four members.