Connect with us
Friday,10-October-2025
Breaking News

National News

Not mandatory for ED to supply ECIR, disclosing ground of arrest enough: SC

Published

on

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said supply of a copy of Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in every case to the person concerned is not mandatory, while holding it is not equivalent to an FIR.

A bench, headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C.T. Ravikumar said: “Supply of a copy of ECIR in every case to the person concerned is not mandatory, it is enough if ED at the time of arrest, discloses the grounds of such arrest.”

The bench said in view of a special mechanism envisaged by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ECIR cannot be equated with an FIR. “ECIR is an internal document of the ED and the fact that FIR in respect of scheduled offence has not been recorded does not come in the way of the authorities referred to in Section 48 to commence inquiry/investigation for initiating ‘civil action’ of ‘provisional attachment’ of property being proceeds of crime,” it added.

It said the argument of prejudice pressed into service by the petitioners for non-supply of ECIR deserves to be answered against the petitioners. “For, the arrested person for offence of money laundering is contemporaneously informed about the grounds of his arrest; and when produced before the Special Court, it is open to the Special Court to call upon the representative of the ED to produce relevant record concerning the case of the accused before him and look into the same for answering the need for his continued detention,” it added.

The petitioners’ counsel had argued that as per present situation, the ED can arrest an individual on the basis of an ECIR without informing him of its contents, which is per se arbitrary and violative of the constitutional rights of an accused. It was vehemently argued that in some cases, the ECIR is voluntarily provided, while in others it is not, which is completely arbitrary and discriminatory.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing one of the petitioners, while referring to the definition of “money laundering” under Section 3 of the PMLA, submitted that the ED must satisfy itself that the proceeds of crime have been projected as untainted property for the registration of an ECIR or the application of the PMLA.

The top court said that ECIR cannot be equated with an FIR which is mandatorily required to be recorded and supplied to the accused. “Revealing a copy of an ECIR, if made mandatory, may defeat the purpose sought to be achieved by the 2002 Act including frustrating the attachment of property (proceeds of crime),” it said.

It held that non-supply of ECIR, which is essentially an internal document of the ED, cannot be cited as violation of constitutional right. “This is compliant with the mandate of Article 22(1) of the Constitution. It is not unknown that at times FIR does not reveal all aspects of the offence in question. In several cases, even the names of persons actually involved in the commission of offence are not mentioned in the FIR and described as unknown accused,” it noted.

The bench said even, the particulars as unfolded are not fully recorded in the FIR, despite that, the accused named in any ordinary offence is able to apply for anticipatory bail or regular bail, in which proceeding, the police papers are normally perused by the court concerned.

It also noted that in some cases, the ED has furnished a copy of ECIR to the person before filing of the complaint. “That does not mean that in every case the same procedure must be followed. It is enough, if the ED at the time of arrest, contemporaneously discloses the grounds of such arrest to such person,” it said.

The top court noted that ECIR may contain details of the material in possession of the authority and recording satisfaction of reason to believe that the person is guilty of money laundering offence. “If revealed before the inquiry/investigation required to proceed against the property being proceeds of crime including to the person involved in the process or activity connected therewith, may have deleterious impact on the final outcome of the inquiry/investigation,” said the bench.

The ED had submitted that the ECIR is an internal document created by the department before initiating penal action or prosecution against the person involved with process or activity connected with proceeds of crime.

The top court judgment came on more than 200 petitions challenging various provisions of the PMLA.

National News

ACC Locks Asia Cup Trophy With Instructions Of Not Be Handed To Team India Without Mohsin Naqvi’s Presence

Published

on

Lahore: The Asia Cup trophy, which was not presented to the victorious Indian team after its refusal to accept it from Asian Cricket Council chief Mohsin Naqvi, has been locked away at the ACC’s Dubai headquarters with “instructions that it should not be moved or handed over” without the Chairman’s approval.

The trophy has been at the ACC office after Naqvi walked away with it from the presentation ceremony following the Indian team’s refusal to accept it from him. India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on September 28.

Naqvi is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and the Interior Minister of his country and India-Pakistan tensions have hit a peak after the Pahalgam terror attack.

“As of today the trophy is still in ACC offices in Dubai with clear intructions from Naqvi that it should not be moved or handed over to anyone without his approval and in person presence,” a source close to Naqvi told PTI.

“Naqvi has given clear instructions that only he will hand over the trophy in person (whenever that happens) to the Indian team or BCCI,” he added.

The entire Asia Cup was overshadowed by Indo-Pak hostilities. The Indians refused to shake hands with the arch foes throughout the tournament and players from both sides mocked each other with politically charged gestures.

Naqvi too made political statements on his social media pages.

The BCCI took strong exception to his act of walking away with the trophy and vowed to raise the matter in an ICC meeting next month. It is being widely speculated that a strong move to get Naqvi censured and even removed as Director in the ICC could be made.

“It remains to be seen what will be the long term ramifications for the PCB or Naqvi because the BCCI is clear he (Naqvi) didn’t have any right to insist on handing the trophy himself to the Indian team and refusing to send it to the BCCI who were official hosts of the event,” the source said.

Continue Reading

National News

Nine Maharashtra Districts Included In PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana To Boost Farmer Income And Self-Reliance

Published

on

Mumbai: “The Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana marks a decisive step towards increasing farmers’ income and making them self-reliant,” said Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane. “After consistent efforts for farmers’ justice, this is a significant achievement. The Central Government has included nine districts from Maharashtra in the scheme, which will be inaugurated tomorrow in Delhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I urge farmers across the state to actively participate in this initiative,” Bharane added.

A state-level event for Maharashtra will be held tomorrow under the chairmanship of Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane at the Pune District Central Cooperative Bank Auditorium.

The Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) has been launched by the Central Government to improve the condition of farmers in regions with low productivity, limited irrigation facilities, and inadequate access to agricultural credit. A total of 100 districts across India have been selected under the scheme, including nine from Maharashtra—Palghar, Raigad, Dhule, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Nanded, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, and Gadchiroli.

The scheme aims to promote agricultural improvement, crop diversification, productivity enhancement, and sustainable farming. It will be implemented over the next six years, with an annual budgetary provision of ₹24,000 crore. In the selected districts of Maharashtra, the focus will be on grain storage, processing, irrigation improvement, and local employment generation.

Minister Bharane welcomed the decision, saying, “This scheme will directly benefit farmers across the state. It will strengthen sustainable agriculture, water conservation, and the adoption of modern technologies—boosting farmers’ confidence. This initiative truly means ‘strength to farming, relief to farmers’.”

More than 300 progressive and innovative farmers are expected to attend tomorrow’s event. Under this program, 36 different schemes from 11 departments of the Central and State Governments will be implemented in convergence. The activities will be executed at multiple levels—Gram Panchayats, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Market Committees, Kisan Samriddhi Kendras, and Cooperative Credit Societies (PACS).

Currently, over 36 central and state agricultural schemes are being converged to boost crop productivity, ensure sustainability, and strengthen post-harvest technology and credit systems. The nationwide launch of the PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, Natural Farming, and Pulses Campaign will be conducted through live broadcasts at district headquarters, KVKs, taluka offices, Gram Panchayats, and agricultural institutions.

Representatives from local bodies, agriculture departments, universities, scientists, award-winning farmers, natural farming practitioners, and farmer producer companies will participate in these events.

Minister Bharane also extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for including nine districts from Maharashtra under this ambitious and farmer-friendly initiative.

Continue Reading

National News

Mumbai Metro 3: Chaos At Churchgate As Aqua Line Faces Technical Snag On First Day Of Public Service.

Published

on

Mumbai: Mumbai’s newly inaugurated Metro Line 3, the city’s first fully underground metro corridor, ran into a technical snag on its very first day of public operations on Thursday, October 9. A brief malfunction in the entry-exit flap barriers at Churchgate station during the evening rush hour caused chaos among commuters, leading to temporary crowding and confusion.

A video of the incident, which quickly went viral, was shared on Instagram by journalist Faizaan Khan. The clip showed large crowds stuck at the station as the automated flap barriers jammed. Metro staff were seen assisting passengers manually, opening the barriers one by one to allow people to pass.

“Massive crowd at Churchgate metro station on day one. Commuters faced serious inconvenience as only a few entry–exit flap barriers were open. During evening peak hours, the crowd was so huge that metro officials had to manually open barriers to let people through,” Khan wrote in his post.

Despite the technical hiccup, the newly opened Phase 2B of the Aqua Line, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, witnessed an overwhelming response from Mumbai residents. According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the metro recorded an impressive ridership of 1,56,456 commuters on its first day on the entire stretch from Cuffe Parade to Aarey (JVLR).

Passenger numbers rose rapidly through the day, from 97,846 by 6 pm, to 1,18,286 by 7 pm and 1,46,087 by 9 pm, reflecting strong enthusiasm for the long-awaited underground service.

MMRC officials said Vidhan Bhavan station also experienced unusually high footfall during peak evening hours. To manage the crowd, one of the station’s seven entry gates was temporarily closed for about 10 minutes. “The situation was efficiently handled by our on-ground staff and security teams to ensure passenger safety,” an official said.

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 phase 2B from Worli to Cuffe Parade, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 8, completes the Metro network connecting Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, covering 33.5 km with 27 stations, 26 underground and one at grade. Trains operate daily between 5:55 am and 10:30 pm, with end-to-end travel taking under an hour.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending