Tag: Money Laundering Act

  • UP court frames charges against journalist Kappan, six others in money laundering case

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Charges have been framed against journalist Siddique Kappan and six others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by a Lucknow court on Wednesday, paving way for the trial to proceed in the case. The court has fixed December 17 as the next date of the hearing.

    Besides Kappan, the other accused include KA Rauf Sherif, Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmad, Mohammad Alam, Abdul Razzak and Ashraf Khadir. The Enforcement Directorate filed the prosecution complaint against all the accused in February last year.

    According to UP police, Kappan and the other accused are members of the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFFI) and its student wing — Campus Front of India (CFI). It may be recalled that Kappan was arrested by the UP Police in October 2020 while he was on his way to Hathras along with three of his aides including Rahman, Ahmed and their car driver Alam, to cover the alleged gangrape and murder of a minor girl belonging to Scheduled Caste.

    ALSO READ | SC grants bail to journalist Siddique Kappan; asks him not to ‘misuse’ his liberty

    The police had charged the scribe and his aides under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The other three accused including Sharief, Razzakh and Khadir were arrested during the investigation.

    The state police had also claimed that Kappan was moving to Hathras with the intent to disrupt peace in the area as part of a conspiracy. However, Kappan’s lawyers had claimed that he was going to report on the case involving a woman. After arresting the Kerala-based journalist, UP police also seized his smartphones and laptops.

    After getting his bail plea rejected by the courts in UP, Kappan moved Supreme Court of India which, on September 9, granted him bail in the UAPA case. However, Kappan was not released because of the Money Laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him. In October, a local Lucknow court rejected Kappan’s bail in a Money laundering case.

    LUCKNOW: Charges have been framed against journalist Siddique Kappan and six others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by a Lucknow court on Wednesday, paving way for the trial to proceed in the case. The court has fixed December 17 as the next date of the hearing.

    Besides Kappan, the other accused include KA Rauf Sherif, Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmad, Mohammad Alam, Abdul Razzak and Ashraf Khadir. The Enforcement Directorate filed the prosecution complaint against all the accused in February last year.

    According to UP police, Kappan and the other accused are members of the banned organisation Popular Front of India (PFFI) and its student wing — Campus Front of India (CFI). It may be recalled that Kappan was arrested by the UP Police in October 2020 while he was on his way to Hathras along with three of his aides including Rahman, Ahmed and their car driver Alam, to cover the alleged gangrape and murder of a minor girl belonging to Scheduled Caste.

    ALSO READ | SC grants bail to journalist Siddique Kappan; asks him not to ‘misuse’ his liberty

    The police had charged the scribe and his aides under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The other three accused including Sharief, Razzakh and Khadir were arrested during the investigation.

    The state police had also claimed that Kappan was moving to Hathras with the intent to disrupt peace in the area as part of a conspiracy. However, Kappan’s lawyers had claimed that he was going to report on the case involving a woman. After arresting the Kerala-based journalist, UP police also seized his smartphones and laptops.

    After getting his bail plea rejected by the courts in UP, Kappan moved Supreme Court of India which, on September 9, granted him bail in the UAPA case. However, Kappan was not released because of the Money Laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him. In October, a local Lucknow court rejected Kappan’s bail in a Money laundering case.

  • Supreme Court judgement on pleas challenging PMLA provisions likely on July 27

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India is set to deliver its judgement on a batch of pleas challenging the various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Wednesday.

    The order will be delivered by a bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar.

    On July 15, the Supreme Court said that its judgement on the pleas challenging the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was almost ready.

    The top court had earlier reserved its order on a batch of petitions challenging certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Prominent names like Karti Chidambaram and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti were among the petitioners in the case.

    Their petitions raised multiple issues including the absence of a procedure to commence investigation and summoning, while the accused was not made aware of the contents of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).

    Mufti had challenged constitutional vires of section 50, and any incidental provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

    Section 50 of the PMLA empowers the ‘authority’ i.e. officers of the Enforcement Directorate, to summon any person to give evidence or produce records. All persons summoned are bound to answer questions put to them, and to produce the documents as required by the ED officers, failing which they can be penalised under the PMLA.

    However, the Centre had justified the constitutional validity of the provisions of PMLA.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India is set to deliver its judgement on a batch of pleas challenging the various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Wednesday.

    The order will be delivered by a bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar.

    On July 15, the Supreme Court said that its judgement on the pleas challenging the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was almost ready.

    The top court had earlier reserved its order on a batch of petitions challenging certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Prominent names like Karti Chidambaram and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti were among the petitioners in the case.

    Their petitions raised multiple issues including the absence of a procedure to commence investigation and summoning, while the accused was not made aware of the contents of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).

    Mufti had challenged constitutional vires of section 50, and any incidental provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

    Section 50 of the PMLA empowers the ‘authority’ i.e. officers of the Enforcement Directorate, to summon any person to give evidence or produce records. All persons summoned are bound to answer questions put to them, and to produce the documents as required by the ED officers, failing which they can be penalised under the PMLA.

    However, the Centre had justified the constitutional validity of the provisions of PMLA.