The Supreme Court will examine whether acquittal in a predicate criminal case automatically ends money-laundering proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate. The court questioned earlier rulings and warned that such a view could defeat the very purpose of the PMLA.
The Supreme Court set aside a Patna High Court order that quashed a cheque dishonour complaint, holding that the High Court wrongly conducted a “roving enquiry” at the pre-trial stage. The apex court restored the complaint, saying a prima facie case under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act was made out.
The Supreme Court has adjourned till January the plea filed by Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, challenging his arrest in the alleged liquor scam. The Court said the matter cannot be heard piecemeal and will take it up for detailed hearing in the first week of January.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed the Delhi court’s refusal to take cognisance of the ED chargesheet in the National Herald case, calling it a blow to the Modi government’s alleged political conspiracy. He said the verdict proves that “victory of truth is certain” and reaffirmed Congress’s fight to protect democracy and the Constitution.
A Bengaluru special court has granted the Enforcement Directorate 10-day custody of WinZO co-founders in a money laundering case involving alleged cheating, fund diversion and gaming manipulation. The ED claims the platform generated illegal “proceeds of crime” through deceptive real-money gaming practices.