Concern over ED power to seize assets

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre's response on a plea filed by a sitting Karnataka MLA challenging the powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to seize and retain property under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) without judicial scrutiny for 180 days.

- FPJ News Service

A Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar issued notice on the petition filed by KC Veerendra and tagged it with pending cases questioning the constitutionality of the PMLA's adjudication framework. The Court also directed that the matter be heard along with challenges to the validity of Section 6 of the PMLA, Bar & Bench reports.

During the hearing, Justice Narasimha remarked that there appeared to be "a fault in the Act (PMLA)" and questioned how a nonjudicial member could adjudicate complex issues involving property rights and constitutional safeguards.