The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 4, 2025) directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to trace the whereabouts of Mahadev Online Book (MOB) app co-founder Ravi Uppal, observing that “kingpins” like him treat courts and investigating agencies as “mere instruments” to play with.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma was hearing Mr. Uppal’s appeal against a March 22, 2025, order of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had refused to quash a non-bailable warrant issued by a Raipur special court on September 4, 2024. The High Court had held that the investigation revealed his possession of proceeds of crime and therefore found no reason to interfere with the trial court’s order. The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice on his plea on May 23, 2025.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, informed the Bench that Mr. Uppal had fled from Dubai to an unknown location and remained untraceable. “From the United Arab Emirates (UAE), you can be extradited. So, he will now go to a country from where he cannot be extradited. That is my apprehension,” Mr. Raju said.
14 held by Chhattisgarh police for betting via Mahadev app
Taking exception to the development, Justice Sundresh remarked, “We did not think that he was not going to come back... for kingpins like him, the investigating agency and the court are mere instruments to play around.”
