The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the plea by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira, challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons in a money laundering case. The summons, issued on September 10, 2021, required them to appear before ED officials in Delhi.
The court upheld the ED’s authority under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, which grants sweeping powers to summon any individual for inquiry, regardless of their gender or location. A bench comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma ruled that individuals summoned under this section are obligated to appear, unlike the provisions under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which offers exemptions based on age and gender.
The court found no illegality in the summons, affirming that ED officials have the right to summon individuals to any location, even if the agency has offices in other cities like Kolkata. The verdict reinforces the ED’s broad investigatory powers under the PMLA, marking a significant stance in money laundering cases.
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