The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Enforcement Directorate for its abysmally low conviction rate in cases of financial irregularities. The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that out of 5,297 cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) between 2014 and 2024, 40 have been proved. In this context, the court advised the ED to improve the quality of the charges and evidence.
The court was hearing the bail plea of a Chhattisgarh-based businessman, who has been arrested under the PMLA. Surya Kant, Shri. Dipankar Datta and Shri. The hearing was held before the bench of Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan. The court observed that statements and affidavits of only a few persons were admissible as evidence in the case. "These are only oral statements and only God knows whether the person is adamant or not," the court said. Additional Chief Secretary S.K. V. Raju said that statements can be admissible as evidence under Article 50 of the PMLA. Stop them. Dutta highlighted that under Article 19 of the Act, the accused is required to give his reasons before arrest. Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioners, referred to the Supreme Court's statement in the Arvind Kejriwal case and said it is necessary to state the grounds for arrest along with the reasons. The court then upheld the interim bail granted to the businessman, advising the ED to focus more on scientific investigation.
You (ED) need to focus on the allegations and the quality of evidence. The cases in which you are satisfied with the evidence, you must bring the same to the courts.
