In 1979, according to the ET, Kaushal helped a Mizo leader in a conspiracy case. Kaushal's links with Sudhanshu Mittal, a businessman-politician and late Pramod Mahajan's right-hand man, have often been criticised. ET report, which dubbed Kaushal as Sushma's "Achilles heel", also said that this was not the first controversy that one time Governor of Mizoram (1990) has been linked to.
For a minister like Sushma Swaraj, who has hardly been hardly embroiled in any scam so far, her husband and daughter's close connection with controversial and tainted Modi might only make things worse for her.Īs this Economic Times article said Kaushal was known to be one of those guys in the political circles who does not shy away from pulling a few strings to get things done. Swaraj Kaushal, the husband of Sushma Swaraj, also found himself in the limelight as reports surfaced that there was a bit of a quid-pro-quo situation between Kaushal and Modi. According to a report in The Huffington Post, Kaushal had taken Modi's help to get his nephew secure admission at Sussex University in the UK. Especially when another family member of the Swaraj family was equally close to Modi. A criminal lawyer at the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court, Bansuri's presence at every crucial hearing in the passport case of Modi cannot be a mere coincidence.
The IE report also pointed out that Sushma must have written to British lawmaker Keith Vaz recommending travel documents for Modi while the judgement on his appeal was reserved by the High Court. The judgement recorded Bansuri's appearance again on behalf of Modi.
But in this case, no appeal was filed and his passport was given back to him. On 27 August, 2014, when a division bench set aside the order revoking the passport and noted that "ED should have accepted Modi's request for interrogation through videoconferencing instead of physical questioning."Īs Sandipan Sharma notes in this Firspost article, normally the government files an appeal in the Supreme Court against decisions that are overturned by a division bench of the high court. But the judgement recorded Bansuri's appearance again. On 5 March 2013, senior advocate Harish Salve had replaced Rohatgi to appear with Modi. Mukul Rohatgi, now Attorney General, appeared for him on this date. In January 2013 when a bench dismissed Lalit Modi's appeal for passport revocation order based on ED's fears of protecting the economic interest of the country, Bansuri was by Modi's side and appeared on his behalf, the court judgement had recorded. A report in The Indian Express noted that on every crucial judgement in Modi's case (for which Solicitor General and Attorney General Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi respectively appeared for him), Bansuri was present in the court. PTIīansuri, who in 2012 was assisting UU Lalit, a Supreme Court judge, had appeared for Modi on several occasions. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Modi has denied any wrongdoing and says he left India for Britain because of death threats. His Indian passport was revoked by the government in March 2011, but it was restored by the Delhi High Court in August last year. Lalit Modi came to London in 2010 as allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting related to IPL cricket tournament emerged. While Sushma's daughter, Bansuri Swaraj - a law graduate from the Oxford University and a barrister at law from Inner Temple in UK - represented Modi for seven years, the Union Minister's husband Swaraj Kaushal gave legal counsel to the disgraced sports administrator's for 22 years, an NDTV report pointed out.įor almost four years now, Modi has been away from India in relation to an Enforcement Directorate case for allegedly violating Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Interestingly, reports signal towards the fact Sushma was linked to Lalit Modi on a more personal level busting her claim that the travel documents were issued on humanitarian grounds. While the Opposition is up in arms and have cried themselves hoarse demanding Swaraj's resignation, the Union Minister has maintained silence since her clarification on Twitter where she admitted that Modi was allowed to travel on humanitarian grounds.
The controversy surrounding Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj helping controversial former commissioner of the Indian Premier League Lalit Modi on "humanitarian" grounds has raised more questions than it has answered.