The Supreme Court on Monday instructed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to petition the High Court to lift the stay on the trial against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, related to a significant money laundering case. This direction comes in the wake of the Jharkhand High Court’s decision on November 8, 2023, to halt proceedings in the trial court after Koda challenged the framing of charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar, presiding over the matter, were apprised by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, that the trial had already seen the examination of 25 out of 77 witnesses. Raju argued that the High Court should not have stayed the trial at such an advanced stage.
The Supreme Court bench pointed out that the ED’s concerns should be presented directly to the High Court since the matter is still active there. They proposed keeping the ED’s current plea to the apex court on hold, allowing the agency to first seek resolution through the High Court.
Raju concurred with the bench’s suggestion and requested that the High Court be directed to expedite the hearing of their forthcoming application. Responding, the bench scheduled a hearing for the ED’s plea on November 25 and mandated the High Court to address the ED’s application within seven days of its filing.
“Bring the relevant facts to the knowledge of the High Court and meanwhile we are keeping your petition pending here,” the bench instructed Raju.
