Securing bail under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (“PMLA”), is challenging due to the high threshold for bail stipulated by the Act. Section 45 of the PMLA stipulates that bail may be granted to an accused in a money laundering case only if two conditions are met: first, the Public Prosecutor must be
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Shifting Paradigms in PMLA Jurisprudence: Madras High Court reopens settled principles of Automatic Quashing of PMLA Proceedings
The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (“PMLA”), is a comprehensive law, dealing with aspects of money-laundering, attachment of proceeds of crime, adjudication, and confiscation thereof. The “proceeds of crime” is the fulcrum of the offence of money-laundering under the PMLA and all actions taken by the Enforcement Directorate (“ED”) under the PMLA invariably revolve…
Timeline to follow under Section 9(2) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996
Introduction
Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 (“Arbitration Act”)[1] deals with the powers of courts to grant interim reliefs, before or during arbitral proceedings or at any time after the making of the arbitral award but before it is enforced, to parties in order to safeguard the subject matter of the…
Decoding Supreme Court’s Landmark Decision on ‘Seat’ vs. ‘Venue’ in Arbitration
Introduction
The Supreme Court of India (“SC”) in its landmark decision in Arif Azim Co. Ltd. v. Micromax Informatics FZE[1] (“Arif Azim”)[2] has once again reiterated the distinction between ‘seat’ and ‘venue’ in an arbitration agreement and its jurisdictional implication. The judgment addresses the contentious issue of whether a location designated in an…
From Harbour to Hardships? Understanding the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 – Part IV
Introduction
This is in continuation to the series on the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“2021 Rules”). This article examines the Rule[1] that proposed the creation of a fact-checking unit (“FCU”) and the subsequent legal challenge before the Bombay High Court, which has led to this specific rule…
Revisiting Unilateral Arbitrator Appointments: The Supreme Court’s New Stance on Fairness and Equality
Introduction
Party autonomy is undoubtedly a cornerstone of arbitration proceedings, allowing parties substantial freedom to shape the contours of their dispute resolution process. This freedom extends to choosing arbitrators and defining procedural rules, reflecting a central appeal of arbitration over litigation. However, this autonomy has limits, particularly where it intersects with the mandatory provisions of…
Ripple Effect of Sanctions: How US Measures against Russia affect Indian Businesses
Is mere possession of proceeds of crime sufficient for trigerring PMLA?
Introduction:
A recent decision rendered by the Madras High Court in S. Srinivasan v. The Assistant Director, Directorate of Enforcement, Chennai[1], has held that being in possession of the proceeds of crime and claiming it to be untainted property can independently be perceived as money laundering under Section 3 of the Prevention of…
Navigating the Crypto Maze: Delhi HC expands scope of predicate offences under PMLA
Introduction
A single judge bench of the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi delivered a significant ruling in the matter of Adnan Nisar v. Directorate of Enforcement and other connected matters[1], on September 17, 2024, holding that an offence committed in a foreign country can be classified as Predicate Offence, under the Prevention of…
Time to harmonize AML control systems for global, commercial Indian companies
Introduction
For many global organisations, finding the right balance between having global, unified compliance programs, and the need to address local legal and compliance risks, is a challenge. In this blog, we will address the challenge that money laundering and related issues presents to Indian companies operating in Europe.…