ED a ‘vengeful complainant’: Mumbai PMLA court

A special PMLA court in Mumbai slammed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following the Supreme Court’s order that allowed the body to withhold information pertaining to the grounds of arrest at the time of detaining an accused in any money laundering case.

After SC said it was not mandatory for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers to disclose the grounds of arrest at the time of detaining an accused in a money laundering case. The law has faced several criticisms, which include non-reporting of grounds of arrest, arrest of persons without ECIR (similar to FIR) copy, strict bail conditions, etc.

According to the Live Law tweet, the PMLA court refers to the ED as a “vengeful complainant.” The ED cannot seek an extension of custody “eccentrically and whimsically.”

The PMLA court refers to the ED as a “vengeful complainant”.

“This court strongly believes that it cannot join hands with a spiteful complainant like ED to humiliate accused persons by continuing their judicial custody, especially in defiance of contemporary law of the land,” the special Mumbai court commented on the ruling