Political use of PMLA echoes at legal caucus in State

The question of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) being used for politics which has dominated political discourse over the last couple of years with several Opposition leaders jailed, reverberated in a panel discussion at a legal conference in which top judges, including the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud partook.

PANAJI

The matter was raised by Goa's former Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni, who criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for keeping money laundering accused in prison for long without trial. Delay in trial has been a prime ground cited in multiple recent judgements of the Supreme Court of India, to release on bail several top politicians under the otherwise stringent PMLA.

Former chief ministers of Delhi and Jharkhand -- Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren -- were among several politicians who got bail with the Apex court applying this ground of delayed or prolonged trial which violates Article 21 of the Constitution -- right to life and personal liberty.