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2022 (11) TMI 502 - HC - Money LaunderingMoney Laundering - Jurisdiction of lower court - Summoning of petitioner by the ED for recording of the statement after registration of the crime - petitioner is in judicial custody - HELD THAT:- It is deemed appropriate to notice the statutory frame work of the PMLA. Section 2 of the PMLA deals with definitions. Section 2(1)(z) defines a ‘Special Court’ to mean a Court of Session designated as Special Court under sub-section (1) of Section 43. It is not in dispute that an ECIR is filed against the petitioner and it is in furtherance of the said registration of the crime, statements of the petitioner are sought to be recorded by the respondent/ED to consider whether there is an offence made out against the petitioner for offences punishable under the PMLA. Now PMLA would mean offences punishable under Chapter II which deals with offence of money laundering. Section 50 empowers the authorities under the PMLA with regard to summons, production of documents and to give evidence. Sub-Section (3) of Section 50 directs that all persons so summoned shall be bound to attend in person or through authorized agents and shall be bound to state the truth upon any subject with respect to which they are examined or make statements and produce documents as may be required. Therefore, the authority under the PMLA does have power to summon and record statement of witnesses in terms of Section 50 of the Act - If the ED wants to invoke the provisions of the PMLA to discern the offence under Section 3 of the PMLA, the designated Court is the Court of Session alone which had the power to even consider any application emanating from the provisions of the PMLA as the offence supra, Section 43 supra and Section 71 clearly mean that the designate Court to try anything emanating from the PMLA is the Special Court and the Special Court is the Court of Session. Section 71 has overriding effect on any law. A Three Judge Bench of the Apex Court in the case of HARSHAD S.MEHTA [2001 (9) TMI 991 - SUPREME COURT] followed the judgment in the case of A.R.ANTULAY [1984 (2) TMI 317 - SUPREME COURT] to hold, if a Special Court is created under the provisions of a special enactment, the proceedings falling under that enactment shall be held only before the Special Court. For this purpose the Apex Court holds that the Special Court enjoys all the powers of the court of original jurisdiction and it holds a dual capacity and powers of both the Magistrate and the Court of Session depending upon the stage of the case. In the light of the statutory frame work of the PMLA and the application filed under Section 50 of the Act, this Court is of the considered view that the application was not maintainable before the learned Magistrate, since the Court did not have the power to direct recording of statements for it to become a record under the PMLA, the order which is passed by the Court which did not have a jurisdiction to even consider any application under the PMLA, is rendered unsustainable. Petition allowed.
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