Lawyers cannot be summoned by investigators for client communications without senior police approval and court review.
When an exception is invoked, any summons to an advocate must specify the facts relied upon and be issued only with the written satisfaction and consent of a superior officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police; such summonses are subject to judicial review at the instance of the advocate or the client under the relevant criminal procedure framework.

Advocate-client privilege limits agency summons, restricting questioning of lawyers and protecting client confidentiality during probes.
The Court invalidated ED summons to senior advocates and directed that investigators shall not summon advocates for client details or legal advice except under statutory exceptions, warning such summonses can infringe accused persons' fundamental rights. It ruled that seizure of lawyers' digital devices requires prior presentation to a jurisdictional court and that inspection can occur only in the advocate's presence after objections are resolved, and directed investigatory agencies to comply with internal approval requirements and the exceptions in the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.

Summoning of lawyers: limits on probing advocates who give legal advice versus those assisting criminal conduct.
The summary explains that advocates who merely render legal opinions or represent clients should not be summoned during investigations, while advocates who actively assist clients in committing crime may be summoned; agencies have issued internal guidance restricting summonses except with senior approval and bar bodies have demanded clear guidelines to protect legal advice while allowing a criminal-assistance exception.

Money laundering under PMLA: chargesheet names foreign nationals for cocaine smuggling and alleged funds routing.
A federal probe agency filed a chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against seven persons, including two foreign nationals, for alleged international cocaine smuggling and laundering. The probe, originating from a local FIR on importation from Laos, identifies travel facilitation, financing of couriers, commission payments, and the use of shell entities and benami accounts to route proceeds; the agency also attached a residential property linked to an alleged courier.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act summons issued to film actors for questioning in probe linked to alleged drug trafficking.
The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to two film actors to record their statements in a money laundering inquiry that stems from a police FIR relating to alleged cocaine trafficking; this investigatory step complements existing police arrests and conditional bail granted to some individuals.

Money laundering probe prompts arrest over alleged cooperative bank loan fraud involving shell companies and sanctioned loans.
Enforcement Directorate arrested a hotelier in a money laundering probe tied to alleged cooperative bank fraud at the Andaman Nicobar State Cooperative Bank, stemming from an FIR by the Crime and Economic Offences Cell. Authorities allege officials and accomplices used shell companies and sanctioned loans in violation of bank rules to avoid repayment, harm the bank and reap personal gains; investigations and inter jurisdictional ED inquiries continue, with detainees placed in judicial custody.

Quashing of PMLA proceedings refused as court declines inherent-jurisdiction interference and leaves trial proceedings intact.
Petitioners challenged search-and-seizure and attendant proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, arguing absence of a prima facie case because a final report had been filed in relation to the underlying FIR and related corporate repayment directions were being followed; the High Court reviewed whether to invoke its inherent jurisdiction to quash investigative measures and, finding no adequate basis for interference, refused to displace the investigation while noting its observations would not affect trial proceedings.

Illegal political fundraising allegations prompt denials as parties exchange accusations over illicit election funding and demands for proof.
Allegations of illegal political fundraising and diversion of black money for the Bihar Assembly polls are made by opposition leaders, claiming coercion of officials and use of renewals as a cover; ruling ministers deny the charges and demand proof while countering with allegations of prior undisclosed transfers and kickbacks attributed to the opposition, raising issues of evidence sufficiency, campaign finance transparency, and potential misuse of state resources.

Allegations of illicit political fundraising prompt denials and demands for evidentiary proof, amid counterclaims of corruption.
Allegations concern purported PMLA-relevant fundraising and black money flows linked to state ministers allegedly collecting funds for an external assembly election, with claims of pressure on officials and disguising of collections; the ruling party denies the charges, demands evidence, and counters by alleging prior illicit conduct by opposition figures and systemic corruption in electoral financing.

Illegal passport facilitation: man arrested for allegedly producing forged documents enabling 250 Bangladeshi nationals to get Indian passports.
Allegations describe a cross border scheme in which a Pakistani operative referred Bangladeshi clients to an Indian intermediary who prepared forged identity documents and facilitated Indian passport applications in about 250 cases, generating proceeds of crime. The enforcement agency has invoked the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, listed the foreign operative in a chargesheet, arrested the intermediary, and reported rejection of an anticipatory bail application.

Illegal arrest for alleged money laundering overturned due to lack of tangible material and absence of prima facie case.
The High Court held the custodial arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act illegal for want of prima facie material, finding the agency's case speculative and lacking tangible recoveries or project-specific evidence tying the accused to alleged laundering; the court quashed remand orders and underscored that statutory arresting powers require concrete material before arrest and continued custody can be justified.

Money laundering allegation over monetised content using protected wildlife triggers PMLA charges and linked criminal inquiries.
Allegations concern monetisation of videos and a commercial music video depicting protected snakes and an iguana, with the Enforcement Directorate filing a PMLA chargesheet alleging that revenue generated from those productions constituted proceeds of crime acquired and possessed by the accused, following FIRs and a prior police chargesheet and investigative questioning.

Vasai-Virar ex-civic chief arrest declared illegal; court found ED lacked tangible material under PMLA in money laundering probe.
The High Court found that the Enforcement Directorate lacked tangible material at the time of the August 13 arrest to satisfy the reason to believe standard under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, noting the ED's case relied mainly on statements of architects and developers. Consequently, the court set aside the special court's remand orders tied to that arrest and ordered the petitioner's release; a sought stay was declined. The probe arises from allegations of collusion with builders resulting in 41 illegal buildings and a prior corruption complaint.

Enforcement Directorate restores Rs175 crore in property to protect bona-fide homebuyers under PMLA restitution.
Enforcement Directorate restored attached properties worth about Rs 175 crore to benefit bona-fide homebuyers by submitting a No Objection Certificate and affidavit seeking restitution under Section 8(8) of the PMLA; the Supreme Court ordered restitution to the Successful Resolution Applicant for the sole benefit of genuine homebuyers, confined the decision to the case's facts and left broader legal questions open.

Provisional attachment partially set aside to restore flats for bona fide homebuyers while suspected proceeds-linked units remain attached.
The Supreme Court partially set aside a provisional attachment order and directed restoration of attached flats to the Successful Resolution Applicant for the benefit of bona fide homebuyers, while continuing provisional attachment over specified units alleged to be proceeds of crime; the Directorate of Enforcement filed a no-objection affidavit after reviewing admitted claims and the court directed deletion of the corporate debtor's name from the supplementary prosecution complaint, preserving the agency's right to act if other payments are later found connected to proceeds of crime.

Vasai-Virar illegal constructions allegedly enabled by municipal officials, with bribes and proceeds funneled into property and jewellery.
The chargesheet alleges that the municipal commissioner and a town planner colluded with developers to facilitate and protect 41 unauthorized buildings on land reserved for public utilities by extracting systematic bribes for building permissions, while developers used fabricated approvals and dummy entities to sell units and convert illicit proceeds into jewellery, property and development investments, conduct the predicate offences, and launder the generated proceeds.

CBI arrests three in gang accused of social media investment scams and alleged money laundering via shell companies and crypto.
Investigators allege a cyber-criminal group used social media and messaging apps to recruit victims, forged KYC and digital signatures to create shell companies and bank accounts, and funnelled victim funds through payment gateways, UPI, crypto exchanges, and clandestine remittances to conceal and convert proceeds of crime.

TASMAC probe: Supreme Court extends stay on ED coercive actions pending resolution of PMLA review petitions.
The Supreme Court extended an interim order restraining the Enforcement Directorate from taking coercive steps, including searches and seizures, against TASMAC in the alleged liquor licences scam and directed that TASMAC's challenge to ED searches be heard only after pending review petitions concerning broader PMLA issues are decided; the controversy raises federalism questions, the operation of Section 66(2) requiring information sharing about predicate offences, and disputes over ECIR non supply and the ED's authority to probe money laundering linked to alleged corruption.

Arvind Kejriwal bail challenge gets a last chance for prosecution to present arguments on Nov 10.
The court granted the prosecution a last opportunity to argue its challenge to Arvind Kejriwal's bail, after the defence objected to repeated adjournments, and listed the matter for a fresh hearing with a direction that the date not be wasted; the dispute arises from alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy and follows prior arrests and interim higher court bail with broader legal questions on arrest under money laundering law referred for consideration.

Bank loan fraud probe triggers multi state searches under PMLA over alleged Rs 70 crore diversion.
Multi state searches were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a probe into an alleged Rs 70 crore bank loan fraud, based on a CBI FIR and the lending bank's allegation that the accused diverted loan funds through entities they owned or controlled which conducted no genuine business activity.