MUMBAI, March 10 -- A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has taken cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) prosecution complaint alleging the money laundering of over Rs.106 crore linked to an alleged front-running scheme involving confidential trading information from Axis Mutual Fund. The court has issued summons to six accused, including former chief dealer Viresh Joshi and his family members. In an order passed last week, additional sessions judge RB Rote said, "Considering the allegations in the prosecution complaint. it prima-facie reveals that there are sufficient grounds for proceeding against the accused," and directed summons to be issued to six accused. Besides Joshi, the court has issued summons to his father Gangaram, wife Vaishali, brother Vipul, and alleged associates Sumit Desai and Pranavkumar Vora. The court also extended Joshi's judicial custody until March 20. According to the ED, the money-laundering probe stems from an FIR registered by the Sion police in December 2024 following a complaint by an investor alleging cheating and criminal conspiracy. The agency claims that Joshi, while working as chief dealer at Axis Mutual Fund, shared confidential information about the fund house's upcoming trades with associates, who then placed trades in advance, an illegal practice known as front-running. Investigators allege that during the Covid-19 pandemic, when remote working was permitted, the accused misused access to sensitive trading information and shared it with associates who executed trades through accounts allegedly operated from Dubai. The ED has estimated the proceeds of crime at around Rs.106.74 crore and claims the money was routed through shell companies and accounts of family members before being used to purchase properties and other assets. Assets worth about Rs.45.9 crore have already been attached under a provisional attachment order issued in September 2025. Earlier in the investigation, the ED arrested Joshi in connection with the scheme and conducted searches across several cities as part of the probe. Emphasising that the court's role at the cognisance stage is limited, the judge said a "mini trial" cannot be conducted at this stage and that the defence can be examined during the trial....