PMLA Court Can Try Corruption Cases Along With Money Laundering Case After Transfer: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has held that a Special Court constituted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) can try a scheduled offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act once the case is committed to it. It held that this remains so even if the court is not the one specifically notified to try offences under the anti-corruption law. Justice A. Badharudeen made the finding while dismissing a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The agency had challenged an...

Karnataka High Court Grants Bail To Former MUDA Commissioner In Money Laundering Case

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday granted bail to former Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar in a money laundering case linked to the alleged MUDA site allotment scam. The court held that while delay in trial by itself is not a ground for granting bail, the petitioner had shown several changed circumstances that justified the relief. Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order in proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the...

ED Can Share Information With Concerned Agencies On Violations Of Other Laws Under PMLA: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday held that information uncovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) during an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) can be shared with other agencies if it discloses violations of another law. It ruled that such information is not confined to proceedings under the PMLA alone. Justice M. Nagaprasanna made the observations while refusing to quash an FIR registered against Micah Mark and five others over allegations that they were...

Are ED's 'Reasons To Believe' For Provisional Attachment Confidential? Gauhati High Court Refers Issue To Larger Bench

The Gauhati High Court has recently referred to a larger bench the question of whether the Enforcement Directorate's recorded "reasons to believe" are confidential or can be incorporated into a provisional attachment order. The reference follows a single judge's disagreement with an earlier coordinate bench that had taken a contrary view.Justice Manish Choudhury observed that his view that it is not confidential differed from the earlier coordinate bench ruling in Aftabuddin Ahmed v. Enforcement...

Jharkhand HC Refuses Discharge In ₹94.42 Lakh Bokaro Tender-Linked PMLA Case, Finds Prima Facie Material

The Jharkhand High Court at Ranchi refused to interfere with the trial court's order in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) prosecution arising out of alleged irregularities in the Bokaro Steel Plant tender process. A Single Judge Bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad upheld the trial court orders rejecting the discharge application and framing charges against Chennai-based businessman Hitesh V. Shah in August 2025, alleging that bribe proceeds of Rs. 94.42 lakh were layered through...

Mere Registration Of FIR In Scheduled Offence Does Not Require ED To Register PMLA Case: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court has refused to direct the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to initiate proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) merely because a criminal case involving a scheduled offence has been registered. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan held that the decision to register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) rests with the authorised officer. The decision must be based on the material...

Kerala High Court Dismisses Federal Bank's Plea Against ED Attachment Of Mortgaged Property, Points To PMLA Court

The Kerala High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by Federal Bank challenging the Enforcement Directorate's attachment of a mortgaged property. The court held that since the attachment had already been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the bank's remedy was to approach the Special Court dealing with PMLA cases. Justice P.V. Balakrishnan observed, “Admittedly, the attachment effected by the respondent, has been confirmed by the...

Calcutta High Court Grants Bail To Alleged School Recruitment Scam Middleman After 1.5 Years In Custody

The Calcutta High Court has recently granted bail to alleged middleman Prasanna Kumar Roy in a money laundering case linked to the West Bengal school recruitment scam. The court held that his custody of about one-and-a-half years, coupled with delays in the proceedings, justified his release despite the stringent bail conditions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Justice Jay Sengupta observed that prolonged incarceration without trial could, in appropriate cases, outweigh the...

Karnataka High Court Quashes ED Arrest Of Gameskraft Founder, Says Arrest Cannot Spring From Ashes Of Old Allegations

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed the Enforcement Directorate's arrest of gaming platform Gameskraft founder Deepak Singh and two company executives, holding that the agency could not justify their arrest on the basis of material that was substantially the same as that relied upon in earlier proceedings. Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order while allowing petitions filed by Singh and Gameskraft executives Vikas Taneja and Prithvi Raj Singh. The court observed that the ED itself had...

Madras High Court Dismisses Flipkart Founders' Review Plea Against FEMA Proceedings

The Madras High Court has dismissed review petitions filed by Flipkart co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal and three investors seeking reconsideration of an earlier order that declined to interfere with Enforcement Directorate proceedings under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Justice S Sounthar held that the petitioners have an effective statutory remedy under FEMA and that the issues raised by them must first be agitated before the adjudicating authority. “In view of the...

Delhi Court Denies Bail To Ex-RCOM Executive Over Alleged Loan Fund Diversion Used To Acquire Yacht, Overseas Apartment

A Delhi court on Monday denied bail to Punit Narendra Garg, former Executive Director of Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCOM), in a case arising from allegations that Reliance Anil Ambani Group entities diverted loan funds linked to borrowings of more than ₹40,185 crore to acquire a luxury yacht and an overseas apartment. The court held that Garg had failed to satisfy the conditions for bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Special Judge (PC Act) CBI Ajay Gupta of the Rouse Avenue...

'Economic Decision, Not A Criminal Offence': Delhi HC Quashes FIR, ED Case Against NewsClick, Founder Over Foreign Funding

The Delhi High Court has recently quashed an FIR registered against digital media platform NewsClick and its founder, Prabir Purkayastha, along with the Enforcement Directorate's money laundering case, holding that the allegations failed to disclose offences of cheating or criminal breach of trust. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna observed that the basic ingredients of the offences were absent. The court held: "Even if all the allegations are accepted, no offence under 406 or 420 IPC is disclosed...