Money laundering and organised crime charges framed against accused over alleged extortion, impersonation, and layered proceeds of crime.
Delhi court ordered framing of charges in a money-laundering prosecution against Jacqueline Fernandez, Sukesh Chandrashekhar and others, finding prima facie material for proceeding under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, punishable under Section 4. The allegations concerned proceeds of crime generated through extortion, cheating, impersonation and criminal intimidation, and their concealment, layering and projection as untainted property. In the connected case, charges were also directed under MCOCA, the Information Technology Act and related penal offences for organised crime and personation of public servants.

L-1 liquor licence denial turns on whether pending money laundering prosecution can justify refusal under excise law.
Wholesale liquor supply L-1 licence was denied on the basis of a pending money laundering prosecution. The challenge argued that, without conviction, there was no criminal background for licence denial under the Delhi Excise Act, and that discharge in the scheduled offence undermined the PMLA case. The High Court declined to interfere with the refusal and treated the pending prosecution as relevant to the licence applications.

PMLA jurisdiction dispute over ED probe before scheduled offence and natural justice objections in appeal
CMRL has filed an appeal challenging an order permitting the Enforcement Directorate to continue a PMLA investigation before a formal FIR or final report by the SFIO. The company contends that no scheduled offence existed when the probe began and that a later complaint could not retrospectively confer jurisdiction on the ED. It also raises a natural justice objection, alleging that additional affidavits were allowed after reservation and that it was denied an opportunity to respond.

Homebuyers' fund diversion allegations prompt notices, ED status report, and broader scrutiny of stalled real estate projects.
Proceedings concerned a plea alleging siphoning and diversion of homebuyers' funds in real estate projects, with claims of non-construction use, transfers to related entities, and stalled or insolvent projects leaving buyers exposed to loss. The Court sought responses from multiple authorities and developers, and directed the ED to place a status report on the progress of its investigation, while submissions also urged expeditious investigation, provisional attachment of diverted assets, and RBI scrutiny of bank financing in stalled housing projects.

Money laundering probe linked to ED raids, vehicle attack and arrests amid stand-off outside party office
Violent attack on vehicles carrying Enforcement Directorate officials led to arrests, with police identifying several persons as directly involved and maintaining a presence outside a CPI(M) office during a stand-off. The ED action formed part of a wider money laundering probe linked to financial dealings between a former Chief Minister's daughter's firm and a sand mining company, arising from questions over transactions between CMRL and a now-defunct firm under a Prevention of Money Laundering Act case.

Money laundering probe over alleged illegal nightclub operations leads to fresh asset attachment and proceeds of crime claims.
Provisional attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was made in relation to the alleged illegal operation of a Goa nightclub, with fresh immovable assets attached and the cumulative attachment and freezing in the case stated to have increased. The ED alleged continued commercial activity without mandatory statutory clearances, use of forged documents to obtain licences, and treatment of the revenue generated as proceeds of crime under the anti-money laundering law.

Money laundering probe under PMLA continued despite no formal FIR, as the High Court upheld ED's jurisdiction.
Enforcement Directorate action proceeded in relation to alleged financial irregularities linked to a company associated with a former chief minister's daughter, after earlier income tax searches and an SFIO investigation. The company sought to quash the ECIR, summons and related proceedings, arguing that no scheduled offence existed when the PMLA probe began and that the ED lacked jurisdiction before a formal FIR or final report. The Kerala High Court held that the ED was legally empowered to continue the money laundering investigation.

PMLA money-laundering probe over alleged illegal payments continues after a challenge to the proceedings was dismissed.
Enforcement action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerns alleged illegal payments by a private company to a firm linked with Veena T, following complaints and tax-related scrutiny of the transactions. The investigation led to searches at multiple premises, while a writ petition challenging the proceedings was dismissed, leaving the agency free to continue its probe.

Election roll revision powers, money-laundering searches and exam leak arrests feature in a packed set of legal developments.
The highlights report election-related, enforcement and criminal investigation developments, including the Supreme Court's view on the Election Commission's power to conduct a Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls for fair elections, searches in a money-laundering investigation, arrests in the NEET UG paper leak case, and comments that the proposed Uniform Civil Code Bill is intended to protect women's rights and is not against any religion.

PMLA investigation over CMRL payments triggers political motivation claims and continued scrutiny of the ED raids.
ED raids were reported in a PMLA investigation linked to alleged payments by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. to Exalogic Solutions, the company associated with Veena Vijayan. The probe stemmed from an SFIO complaint and earlier scrutiny by the Income Tax Department settlement board, while the Kerala High Court had dismissed CMRL's writ petition to quash the ED proceedings. CPI(M) leaders alleged the raids were politically motivated and maintained that the payments were for services rendered, not illegal transactions.

Money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act led to searches over alleged improper CMRL payments.
Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple premises in Kerala in connection with a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, including premises linked to Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd and the residence of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The case concerns allegations that CMRL made payments to Exalogic Solutions despite no services being rendered, following a complaint by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office.

Money laundering investigation linked to alleged drug smuggling syndicate prompts searches in Chennai and Madurai.
Enforcement Directorate searches were conducted in Chennai and Madurai in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged syndicate said to have smuggled drugs from India to Sri Lanka by sea. The case arises from Directorate of Revenue Intelligence cases concerning seizure of hashish from a fishing boat and recovery of methamphetamine at Madurai railway station. Britto was described as the alleged mastermind of the syndicate, with fishermen and boat owners allegedly used for transportation through Indian waters.

Due process in money laundering arrests reported as the court questions an arrest warrant and bars detention pending review.
Interim restraint was reported in a money laundering matter concerning a former prime minister and his spouse, after the Supreme Court questioned the validity of an arrest warrant issued by the district court. The reported order turned on due process concerns in the issuance of the warrant and directed that the couple not be arrested pending further consideration. The report also noted that police had sought a red corner notice through Interpol, but the request was rejected for want of sufficient supporting material.

Bail in liquor policy scam cases follows parity with co-accused and lengthy trial concerns
Bail was granted to a former excise commissioner in two connected Chhattisgarh liquor policy scam matters, one relating to the alleged criminal conduct and the other to the consequential money laundering case. The court noted that co-accused were already on bail and that the trials were likely to take considerable time, and it imposed the same bail conditions as in other cases. He was required to remain outside Chhattisgarh, while being allowed to visit for trial and investigation proceedings, with liberty to seek modification later.

Portfolio management and mutual fund payment reforms take shape as SEBI weighs calibrated relaxation and donation routes.
SEBI is reviewing the Portfolio Management Services framework and plans a consultation paper on reforms to revive growth. It is also examining calibrated relaxation of mutual fund third-party payment restrictions under anti-money laundering norms, including clean and auditable routes for employer salary deductions and commission payments through mutual fund units, while keeping redemption proceeds and dividends confined to verified bank accounts. The regulator is further considering charitable donations through mutual funds and possible simplification measures for overseas investors.

Money laundering investigation leads to arrest of alleged investment fraud accused from Gurugram after prolonged evasion.
Enforcement Directorate arrested the prime accused in the Heera Group-linked alleged investment fraud from an Airbnb property at Gurugram during a joint operation with Haryana Police. The agency said she was living under a fake identity using forged Aadhaar documents and was apprehended with an associate. She was taken to Hyderabad and produced before a special PMLA court, which remanded her to judicial custody. The ED also referred to asset attachment, auction of properties for victim restitution, and alleged obstruction of auction proceedings.

Constitutional protection and economic distress dominate Rahul Gandhi's allegations over governance, inflation, and electoral roll deletions.
Political remarks centred on allegations that the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the RSS were undermining the Constitution, weakening public welfare measures, favouring select industrialists, and eroding constitutional guarantees such as equality, justice, public sector protections, an independent judiciary, free media, and one person-one vote. The speaker also linked these allegations to economic distress, warning of inflation, fuel and fertiliser shortages, disruptions in global oil supply, and hardship for ordinary citizens.

Money laundering through benami accounts and extortion allegations drove custodial interrogation in a large financial crime probe.
Proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act involved allegations that Ashok Kharat orchestrated an extortion racket and laundered more than Rs 70 crore through benami bank accounts. The agency alleged misuse of victims' documents, opening of multiple accounts in a single day, and acquisition of properties in the names of Kharat and his family members from the alleged proceeds.

Provisional attachment of properties under fugitive economic offender and money-laundering laws over alleged proceeds of crime linked to Mirchi family assets.
Provisional attachment of assets under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act and money-laundering framework has been made in connection with the alleged proceeds of crime linked to late gangster Iqbal Mirchi and his family. The attached assets include three Worli properties in Mumbai and overseas properties in Dubai, with the investigation attributing ownership and control to Mirchi and his associates despite the properties standing in the name of a trust or other entities on paper. The enforcement action arises from multiple police FIRs concerning alleged organised criminal activity, including drug trafficking, extortion and illegal arms activity. The investigation states that the properties were allegedly acquired through laundering of proceeds generated from those activities.

Money laundering investigation leads to judicial custody amid alleged GST fraud, shell companies, and benami property transactions.
Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora was placed in judicial custody in connection with an alleged money laundering investigation arising from claims of GST fraud, suspicious property purchases, shell company routing, and benami holdings. The Enforcement Directorate stated that its questioning had been completed and that it was preparing to file a charge sheet. The investigation also reportedly extended to family members through summons and notices, with some relatives questioned and released.