New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate to approach the high court for a vacation of stay on the trial against former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda in a money laundering case.
The ED has challenged the November 8, 2023 order of the Jharkhand High Court which while admitting the plea of Koda against framing of charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, had ordered for stay of further proceedings in the trial court.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar was told by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, that 25 out of the 77 witnesses have been examined. He submitted that the high court could not have stayed the trial at this stage.
The bench told Raju that he should have raised the grievances of the probe agency before the high court as the matter is still pending over there. It suggested that the plea of ED before the top court will be kept pending and meanwhile the agency can approach the high court for vacation of the stay on trial.
Raju agreed and sought direction for expeditious disposal of their application to be filed before the high court. The bench directed for listing of ED's plea on November 25 and asked the high court to consider the application of the agency within seven days of filing.
"Bring the relevant facts to the knowledge of the high court and meanwhile we are keeping your petition pending here," the bench told Raju. The special PMLA court in Ranchi had framed charges against Koda and five others under provisions of the PMLA pertaining to around Rs 3,500 crore.
Koda was charged with money laundering and aiding the generation of the proceeds of crime between February 2005 and September 2006 when he was mines minister in Jharkhand and September 2005 and August 2008 during his tenure as chief minister of the state.
