Supreme Court orders ED to go to the High Court to lift the stay on the case against Madhu Koda in the money laundering case

The Supreme Court has asked the ED to approach the High Court for a vacation of stay in the trial against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda in a money laundering case. The central agency, ED, has challenged the November 8, 2023 order of the Jharkhand High Court that accepted the plea of the former chief minister against the framing of charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and granted a stay on further proceedings before the lower court.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for ED, told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar that out of 77 witnesses, 25 have been examined. Such trial cannot be stayed at this stage by the high court, he said.

The bench then told Raju that the grievance about the probe agency should have been raised before the high court as the matter was still pending there. The court said that the ED's plea before the apex court can be kept pending and in the meantime, the agency can approach the high court to lift the stay on the trial.

Raju agreed to it and prayed for directions for the early disposal of his application to be filed before the high court. The Bench ordered the ED's plea to be listed on November 25 and asked the high court to consider the agency's application within seven days.