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PMLA cases and recovery

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ed-conducted-112-raids-from-2004-14-over-3-000-in-8-years-after-thatcentre-101658862318096.html


Arguments Matrix of PMLA case in Supreme Court https://www.scobserver.in/reports/pmla-arguments-matrix/

♦️Below is comment by an economist

I am as opposed to and as distressed as any well meaning and law abiding Indian citizen should be with the sheer scale of the parallel universe of criminally acquired wealth and consequent tax evasion. Well regarded experts now estimate this parallel economic and social universe to be as much as 75% of our GDP. Not part of our GDP but existing mostly in addition to it. It is just unreported and deprives the nation of about ₹30 lakh crores of tax revenue. 

This is probably our biggest challenge and the recently retired Justice Khanvilkar was probably not hyperbolic when he described it as a bigger challenge than terrorism. I am sure most citizens would be with him when he ratified the draconian and patently undemocratic PMLA proposed by the Modi regime. I am sure he was influenced by the inability of the ED to get convictions as the graph amply illustrates. But then sir what is the percentage of murder convictions? The rates are low because judges have got to go by evidence and their perception of truth. The rates are low because of poor prosecution skills. The rates are low because the law enforcer has other motivations. 

But the question we need to ask ourselves is whether we want to live in a police state where the a lawless state and its agencies can run amok? All police states that started off to “clean up the country” in various parts of the world inevitably became oppressive, vindictive and criminal tyrannies themselves. 

By turning the Enforcement Directorate into an unbridled Savornola we will be setting free a tiger that will devour our democratic values, distort our system of justice and will in turn be turned into the principal sword arm of a criminal state. 

Finally, a question for Justice Khanvilkar? Sir if a money laundering accused is deemed guilty and is required to prove his or her innocence in a court of law, why not apply the same norm to accused murderers, sexual predators, child rapists and such?  Where will this stop. Then ask yourself another question, can terror ever achieve public policy objectives?

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