PMLA&FEMA
Kerala HC Upholds ED Summons In Probe Linked To Payments To Ex-Kerala Chief Minister's Daughter's Company
The Kerala High Court has declined to interfere with summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate to officials of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited in a money laundering investigation linked to payments allegedly made to Veena Vijayan, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and her company, Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd. Justice T.R. Ravi dismissed a petition filed by Cochin Minerals and its officers challenging an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered by the...
Delhi High Court Directs ED To Release ₹1.54 Crore To Satyam Caterers Despite Pending PMLA Appeal
The Delhi High Court has directed the Directorate of Enforcement to release over ₹1.54 crore to Satyam Caterers Pvt Ltd, subject to a bank guarantee of an equivalent amount, in a money laundering case. The court held that the excess recovery could not be withheld solely because ED's separate appeal against the reduced quantification of proceeds of crime is pending. A division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja set aside an order of the Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA,...
PMLA Appellate Tribunal Sets Aside ED Order Retaining Frozen Assets Of Kwality Ex-Director Sidhant Gupta
The PMLA Appellate Tribunal has set aside an order permitting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to retain and continue freezing properties linked to former Kwality Limited director Sidhant Gupta and associated entities in a money laundering case arising from an alleged Rs 1,400.62-crore bank fraud involving the company. The tribunal ruled that such retention cannot be sustained merely because the investigation is ongoing. Member V. Anandarajan held that the Adjudicating Authority (AA) failed...
GSTAT Extends Relaxed GST Appeal Filing Guidelines On Portal Till December 31, 2026
The Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) Principal Bench, New Delhi, has extended till December 31, 2026 the relaxed filing framework for appeals on the GSTAT Portal, citing difficulties faced by appellants during the initial phase of the portal's functioning. The extension has been granted through an office order dated May 14, 2026.The order continues the earlier relaxation measures introduced through an office order dated January 20, 2026 and instructions issued on March 10,...
SAFEMA Appellate Tribunal Upholds ₹83 Lakh FEMA Penalty On Tata Capital Forex In ₹8.36 Crore Forex Card Case
The Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA has upheld an Rs. 83 lakh penalty imposed on Tata Capital Forex Ltd. for violating foreign exchange laws in a case involving forex prepaid cards worth over Rs. 8.36 crore. It, however, granted partial relief to the company's former regional manager, Ashwin Savoor, by reducing his penalty from Rs. 83 lakh to Rs. 16.6 lakh. A coram of Members Balesh Kumar and Rajesh Malhotra observed: “Even though being an Authorised Person, they not only failed to be prudent...
Centre Mandates Govt. Route For Investments With Beneficial Ownership Linked To Border Countries
The Centre has mandated that investments into India in non-debt instruments, including equity, by entities or individuals from countries sharing a land border with India, as well as investments where the beneficial ownership is traceable to such countries, must be made only through the Government approval route, under amendments notified on May 1, 2026. The Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs, brought into force the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) (Amendment)...
Adjudicating Authority Abdicated Appellate Powers, Supreme Court Sets Aside FEMA Order Passed Pending Appeal
The Supreme Court has set aside a Madras High Court judgment and a final adjudication order under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, holding that the Adjudicating Authority acted improperly by effectively overriding an order refusing to confirm seizure while that order was under appeal. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed, “In effect, the Adjudicating Authority has undone the order of the Competent Authority even while the appeal against the said order is pending. Such...
PMLA Appellate Tribunal Upholds ED Attachment Of Rs. 3.16 Crore Properties In MPS Greenery Developers Case
The Appellate Tribunal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at New Delhi has upheld the attachment of properties worth about Rs 3.16 crore linked to Pramatha Nath Manna in connection with the MPS Greenery Developers Ltd case. A coram of members, Balesh Kumar and Rajesh Malhotra, dismissed the appeals challenging the Provisional Attachment Order dated March 28, 2018, which had been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority on September 18, 2018 under the Prevention of Money...
AgustaWestland Case: PMLA Appellate Tribunal Upholds ED Attachment Of ₹6.33 Crore Properties Of Media Exim
The Appellate Tribunal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in New Delhi on Thursday upheld the attachment of properties acquired by Media Exim Pvt. Ltd. using about Rs 6.33 crore alleged to be linked to proceeds of crime in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal, dismissing appeals filed against the Enforcement Directorate's action. A single-member bench of V. Anandarajan rejected appeals filed by J.B. Subramaniyam, Bhanu Nanda and Media Exim Pvt Ltd challenging the...
No Proof Of Proceeds Of Crime, PMLA Appellate Tribunal Sets Aside ED Attachment Based On Common Directorship
The PMLA Appellate Tribunal (Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA) recently set aside the provisional attachment of six immovable properties valued at Rs 23.85 crore belonging to multiple third-party entities, holding that the Enforcement Directorate cannot sustain attachment in the absence of any proven flow of “proceeds of crime” and that mere common directorship or shareholding is insufficient to establish such a nexus. A coram comprising Member V. Anandarajan allowed appeals filed by Suncity...
SAFEMA Tribunal Confirms ₹50 Lakh ED Attachment In Syndicate Bank Bribery Case Linked To Former CMD
The Appellate Tribunal under SAFEMA on 12 March held that the provisional attachment of Rs. 50 lakh recovered from the close relatives of Syndicate Bank's former CMD constitutes proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A Bench comprising Members Balesh Kumar and Rajesh Malhotra allowed the appeal filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), setting aside the order of the Adjudicating Authority, which had earlier declined to confirm the provisional attachment of...
