Crowdfunding ‘misuse’ case: SC grants bail to TMC leader Saket Gokhale

Trinamool Congress leader and RTI activist Saket Gokhale, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January this year for alleged misappropriation of funds he collected through crowdfunding, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court on Monday.

The ED had accused Gokhale of using a significant portion of the over Rs 1 crore he collected through crowdfunding for personal expenses such as wining and dining, intra-day trading in the stock market, and treatment of family members. The agency also claimed that Gokhale admitted to receiving Rs 23.5 lakh from the Congress, which was deposited in his account in November 2021 for "social media work and other consulting".

However, the ED pointed out that Gokhale had joined TMC in August that year, raising questions about the purpose of the payment.

ED's remand application revealed that Gokhale ran three crowdfunding campaigns through the online platform ourdemocracy.in between 2019 and 2021 to fund his public interest activities, generating funds of over Rs 80 lakh. He also received a cash deposit of Rs 23.54 lakh in his account, according to ED. Gokhale has filed 400 RTI applications, costing him only Rs 4,000, the application further stated.

The ED alleged that Gokhale used Rs 30 lakh of the funds collected to pay his credit card bills, which included significant expenses on "purchase of liquor...wining and dining and other personal expenses". Additionally, a large share of the funds, with transactions close to Rs 2 crore, were invested in the stock market for intra-day trading, according to ED, and Gokhale admitted to losing Rs 30 lakh in these transactions.

Gokhale's bail has been granted on the condition that he cooperates with the investigation, does not tamper with evidence, and does not leave the country without prior permission from the court.