Supreme Court Criticizes ED's Stance on Bail for Women in Money Laundering Cases

The Supreme Court criticized the Enforcement Directorate for applying stringent bail conditions to women despite statutory exceptions. Shashi Bala, a teacher involved in the Shine City fraud, was granted bail, highlighting errors in ED's interpretation of legal provisions concerning women accused in money laundering cases.

The Supreme Court has issued a strong rebuke to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over its interpretation of bail conditions for women in money laundering cases. This came to light during the bail hearing of Shashi Bala, a government school teacher and an accused in the Shine City scam.

A bench led by Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih labeled the ED's arguments as contrary to statutory provisions, emphasizing that such misinterpretations could not be entertained. The court granted bail to Bala, who had been held in custody since November 2023 without significant progress in her trial.

The controversy centers around Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, which imposes strict bail conditions, yet explicitly provides exceptions for women and other specified groups. Despite this, the ED had insisted on the applicability of stringent measures to Bala, raising concerns over legal ignorance among Union representatives.

(With inputs from agencies.)