The Delhi HC refused to entertain a PIL whereby an authoritative interpretation of section 66 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, was sought.
As per section 66 PMLA, the enforcement directorate is allowed to share information with other agencies if it is necessary for the performance of their functions under the law.
The PIL had been filed by the former ED Officer and three lawyers who had alleged that the ED was putting pressure on the CBI as well as other agencies to file a case for the predicate offenses so that in this manner ED could invoke money laundering cases under the PMLA.
The division bench comprised of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Pritam Singh Arora, rejected the plea and mentioned that the authoritative interpretation of the section can be sufficiently and easily be done by the single judge bench.
It was remarked by the court that the people who are a part of these offenses have the wherewithal to contest the allegations and the rule of locus standi cannot be relaxed for the ‘rich and mighty’
The court rejected the PIL and granted the affected parties the freedom to address the matter in suitable courts through proper legal proceedings.
Written By:- Shianjany Pradhan (@SHIANJANYPRADHAN)
