The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to list a petition seeking a review of a July 27 judgment that upheld the core amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which give the government and the Enforcement Directorate virtually unbridled powers of summons, arrest and searches and make bail nearly impossible, while shifting the burden of proof of innocence onto the accused rather than the prosecution.
The review petition was orally mentioned before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana.
The court had called the PMLA a law against the “scourge of money laundering” and not a hatchet wielded against rival politicians and dissenters.
“This is a sui generis (unique) legislation,” a Special Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar (now retired), Dinesh Maheshwari, and C.T. Ravikumar observed in their 545-page judgment.
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