The stringent anti-money laundering law, which the Supreme Court just approved, will be up for review once more after the high court agreed to consider a petition challenging the ruling. Tomorrow is the hearing date.
The court upheld the broad search, seizure, and arrest powers of the Enforcement Directorate in a ruling issued last month. These powers had been challenged in various application. The petitioners had stated that most of the time, these powers were misused, especially when opposition figures were involved.
The roughly 250 petitioners had also argued that it is unconstitutional to grant an agency unchecked arrest powers if the accused may not be informed of the reason or evidence. Additionally, they argued that statements acquired through questioning should not be used in court since they could be acquired illegally.
According to the court, the Enforcement Directorate is not required to give the accused a copy of the ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report). The court ruled that this document cannot be compared to a FIR (First Information Report). ‘It is enough if Enforcement Directorate, at time of arrest, discloses grounds of such arrest,’ the judges had said.
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