Supreme Court to Review Money Bills Issue with Constitution Bench

The Supreme Court has assured to review the listing of matters on money bills, as raised by Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Indira Jaising. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud confirmed a seven-judge constitution bench will hear the issue, focusing on amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Supreme Court on Monday assured it would review the listing of matters related to money bills. This assurance came after Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal brought up the issue before a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Chief Justice Chandrachud committed to looking into the matter when forming constitution benches.

Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Indira Jaising informed the court about a similar issue concerning the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and money bills. The court responded by stating it will list the matter. Consequently, a seven-judge constitution bench is set to hear the issue.

In 2022, a three-judge bench upheld the validity of several provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which grants the Enforcement Directorate the authority to arrest, search, seize, and attach proceeds of crime. However, the court acknowledged that the question of enacting PMLA amendments as a money bill requires a larger seven-judge bench's scrutiny. This decision aligns with the top court's order from July 27, 2022, which left these questions to be addressed by a larger bench.

(With inputs from agencies.)