Someday You Must Find Out How Many PMLA Complaints Ended In Trial & Conviction: Supreme Court Tells ED

The Supreme Court on Monday (November 18) once again expressed concerns about the low rate of convictions in the complaints filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Justice Abhay S Oka, heading a bench comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, orally told the counsel of the Enforcement Directorate, "Someday you must find out how many cases of a complaint under PMLA have ended with trial and how many have resulted in a conviction."

The observation was made while considering a bail application of a person accused of PMLA offences. The bench granted him bail considering the fact that he has been under custody since 23rd February 2023, and that there was no possibility of the trial commencing in the near future. The bench followed the judgment passed in Senthil Balaji case in this regard.

This is not the first time the Court is raising concerns about low PMLA convictions. In August, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan had orally commented that out of 5000 PMLA complaints, only 40 convictions have been secured in ten years. In the judgment passed in the Arvind Kejriwal case, the Court had observed that the data on PMLA complaints and arrests "raised a number of questions" and stressed on the need to have a uniform policy on arrests.

Case No. SLP(Crl) No. 12667/2024 Diary No. 21976 / 2024

Case Title: Veerendra Kumar Ram v. Union of India