PMLA bail is restricted by the twin conditions in Section 45 when investigation material shows prima facie money-laundering involvement.

Bail under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act depends on the mandatory twin conditions in Section 45, requiring reasonable grounds to believe that the is not guilty and will not commit an offence while on bail. The Court noted that witness statements and documents collected in investigation prima facie indicated diversion and layering of proceeds of crime, and the statutory presumption under Section 24 and overriding effect under Section 71 supported the prosecution's case at the bail stage. The petitioner's medical condition and other submissions were not sufficient to displace the statutory bar, and the bail application was dismissed.

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Issues: Whether the petitioner was entitled to bail in a prosecution for offences under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002, having regard to the statutory embargo under Section 45 and the materials collected during investigation.

Analysis: The application was considered in the context of the mandatory twin conditions under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002, which require the Court to be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the is not guilty and is not likely to commit any offence while on bail. The materials collected during investigation, including witness statements and documents, were held to prima facie show the petitioner's involvement in diversion and layering of the alleged proceeds of crime. The Court also noted the statutory presumption under Section 24 and the overriding effect of the Act under Section 71, while observing that the prosecution had placed material sufficient to show complicity at the bail stage. The petitioner's medical condition and other submissions were not found sufficient to displace the statutory bar.

Conclusion: The petitioner was not held entitled to bail and the bail application was dismissed.

Ratio Decidendi: In bail applications under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002, the Court must apply the mandatory twin conditions in Section 45, and bail cannot be granted where the collected material prima facie discloses involvement in money-laundering and the accused fails to satisfy the Court that there are reasonable grounds to believe he is not guilty.

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