JUDGMENT :

SUJIT NARAYAN PRASAD, J.

1. Since these matters are interlinked and, as such, both are heard together and being disposed of by a common order.

2. Both of these Criminal Revision petitions have been filed under sections 438 & 442 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

3. Criminal Revision No.208 of 2025 is directed against the order dated 03.12.2024 passed by the Special Judge, PML Act, Ranchi in M.C.A. No. 2964 of 2024, arising out of ECIR-02/2023 by which discharge petition filed by the petitioner for the offence under section 3 punishable under section 4 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002(in short PMLA, 2002) has been rejected.

4. Criminal Revision No. 120 of 2026 is directed against the order dated 07.12.2024 passed by the learned Special Judge, PML Act, Ranchi in connection with ECIR Case No. 02 of 2023 registered for the offence under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, whereby and whereunder, the charge has been framed against the petitioner.

Factual Matrix:

7. The brief facts of the case as per the pleadings made in the instant petitions which require to be enumerated herein, read as under:

(i) An ECIR bearing No. ECIR/RNSZO/16/2020 was registered on 17.09.2020 and investigation under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was initiated on the basis of FIR bearing No. 13 of 2019 dated 13.11.2019 registered by the ACB Jamshedpur for the offence under section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption,2018 and on completion of investigation charge- sheet No. 01/2020 dated 11.01.2020 was filed by ACB Jamshedpur against Suresh Prasad Verma and Alok Ranjan under section 7(b) of the P.C Act, 2018 for the offence under section 120B and 201 of IPC which are scheduled offences under Part-A, Paragraph No.1 of PML Act, 2002.

(ii) During investigation upon Veerendra Kumar Ram and his close associates, several searches were conducted on 21-02-2023 at various places across India and it was found that part of the Proceeds of crime acquired in the form of taking commission/bribe in lieu of allotment of tenders by Veerendra Kumar Ram, Chief Engineer in Rural Works Department, Jharkhand was getting routed by a Delhi based CA Mukesh Mittal to the bank accounts of family members of Veerendra Kumar Ram with the help of bank accounts of Mukesh Mittal's employees/relatives. It is also alleged that Veerendra Kumar Ram used to give cash to his CA Mukesh Mittal who with the help of entry providers used to make entries in the bank accounts of his employees and relatives and then such fund was transferred by him into the bank accounts of Rajkumari (Wife of Veerendra Ram) and his father Shri Genda Ram.

(iii) It is also alleged that some bank accounts were opened in Delhi on the basis of forged documents. Therefore, information related to the same was shared with the Delhi Police under Section 66(2) of the PMLA. Further on the basis of the said information an FIR No. 22/2023 was registered by Economic Offence Wing (EOW), Delhi on 03.03.2023 against (1) Shri Veerendra Kumar Ram, (ii) Mukesh Mittal, and (iii) unknown others under Sections 419, 420, 465, 466, 468, 471, 473, 474, 476, 484, and 120 B of IPC, 1860, and Section 7 and 5 of Specified Bank Notes(Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017.In light of the additional facts emerging out of the investigation, FIR No. 22/2023 registered by EOW, Delhi was merged with the investigation of present ECIR/RNSZO/16/2020 dated 17-09-2020.

(iv) A prosecution complaint vide ECIR Case Number 02/2023 under Section 45 of PMLA, 2002 was filed before the Learned Special Court (PMLA), Ranchi 21.04.2023 against Veerendra Kumar Ram, Alok Ranjan, Rajkumari and Genda Ram and the cognizance of the same was taken by the Special Judge, PMLA, Ranchi on 29-04-2023.

(v) Further, a supplementary prosecution complaint vide ECIR Case Number 02/2023 under Section 45 of PMLA, 2002 was filed before the Learned Special Court (PMLA), Ranchi on 20.08.2023 against Veerendra Kumar Ram