Ashneer Grover and wife Madhuri seek permission from Delhi HC to travel to US

BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover and his wife Madhuri Jain Grover, the company’s former chief human resources officer, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court on Thursday (May 16). They asked the court for permission to travel to the United States for their children’s summer school.

The hearing was adjourned to Friday, May 17, after the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) informed the court that it had summoned Madhuri Jain for questioning later that day.

The Grovers’ lawyer told the court the husband-wife duo would take turns traveling abroad and would not travel together. This was in response to the EOW’s objection to their planned trip.

Ashneer plans to leave on May 26 and will return to India on June 14. Madhuri will leave the next day, June 15, the lawyer said, as reported by Moneycontrol.

With a lookout circular (LOC) issued against them at the request of the EOW, they are not allowed to leave the country without seeking permission from a court.

The credit line was issued in response to allegations that Grover and his family siphoned money from the fintech startup under the guise of providing recruitment services.

The EOW opposed the plea and said the couple owned properties outside India and could elope. He added that the investigation against the two men was at an advanced and crucial stage, even though Madhuri was not cooperating with the investigation, saying she had discovered suspicious transactions worth millions of dollars.

Justice Subramonium Prasad suggested allowing either of the two to travel with the children to the US as the EOW was opposed to Madhuri traveling abroad. He added that she appeared to be the “kingpin” of the alleged scam, according to Moneycontrol.

The judge pointed out that it appears that the letters of credit are issued only to recover monies, as the EOW has not arrested the Grovers despite serious allegations.

The couple’s lawyer, Giriraj Subramanium, refuted the allegations and said the couple had no plans to flee the country. He added that the golden visa issued to them by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had expired. The Grovers are accused of committing ₹81 crore fraud in BharatPe.

A line of credit can be applied for by agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Customs and Income Tax Department and the EOW . It is usually issued against individuals who are under investigation or have a criminal record to prevent them from leaving the country where they committed the alleged offense.