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‘Deeply apprehensive of…': Oppn on Supreme Court upholding stringent provisions of Money Laundering Act
As many as 17 opposition parties and independent MP Kapil Sibal have signed a joint statement on the top court's July 27 judgment.
In a joint statement, as many as 17 opposition parties and independent MP Kapil Sibal expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court's July 27 judgment upholding the constitutional validity of the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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Underlining that the signatories hold, and will always hold the top court in the highest respect, the statement said that the three-judge bench which delivered the judgment should've waited for the verdict of a larger bench for examining the constitutional validity of the Finance Act route to make amendments to the challenged provisions of the PMLA.
“We place on record our deep apprehension on the long-term implications of the recent Supreme Court judgment, upholding, in entirety, the amendments to the PMLA, 2002, without examining whether some of these amendments could have been enacted by way of Finance Act,” the statement, dated August 2, read.
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Accusing the BJP-led Union government of indulging in ‘political vendetta of the worst kind’, the opposition parties lamented that though the ‘far-reaching amendments’ strengthened the government's hands, yet these were upheld.
“We are also very disappointed that the highest judicial authority, invited to give an independent verdict, has virtually reproduced arguments given by the executive in support of draconian amendments. We hope that the dangerous verdict will be short-lived and constitutional provisions will prevail soon,” the letter concluded.
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In recent days, a number of opposition leaders, including Congress's Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, and TMC's Partha Chatterjee, have been questioned or arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in various cases; Chatterjee, however, was suspended by his party and relieved of all his ministerial duties in the West Bengal cabinet.
Representatives of the Congress, Shiv Sena and TMC are among signatories to the letter.
Also Read: Centre’s misuse of ED will increase after SC decision on PMLA, says Ashok Gehlot
Centre's alleged misuse of investigating agencies to target opposition leaders has led to protests during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
