JUDGMENT :

Through the process of money laundering, those involved in crimes have harnessed an armoury to drain the economic stability and erode the integrity of the country. The need to obviate such threats was identified by the United Nations. Through its conventions and resolutions, the signatory countries to the United Nations were warned of the perils of such baneful conduct. India responded with a Statute named Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (for short 'the PMLA'). Petitioners challenge a proceeding initiated under the aforestated statute.

2. Properties of the petitioners have been subjected to five different provisional attachments under the PMLA. The challenge in the writ petition is against the provisional attachment order dated 09.06.2023, as well as the order dated 12.05.2022, freezing the movable properties, including mutual funds and fixed deposits of the writ petitioners. The aforesaid two orders are produced in the writ petition as Ext.P25 as well as Ext.P21, respectively. There is an ancillary challenge against the seizure memo, which is produced as Ext.