The Bombay High Court made an important ruling in Rakesh Brijlal Jain and Ors Versus State of Maharashtra and Ors 2025:BHC-AS:2680 ordering the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The court emphasized that it is time for central agencies like the ED to respect the law and stop harassing citizens.
Justice Milind Jadhav, who presided over the case, stated that a clear message must be delivered to law enforcement agencies to protect citizens from harassment.
“I am compelled to levy exemplary costs because a strong message needs to be sent to the Law Enforcement Agencies like ED that they should conduct themselves within the parameters of law and that they cannot take law into their own hands without application of mind and harass citizens,” Justice Jadhav explained.
He noted that it is well understood that money laundering is a crime often carried out with intent to gain personal profit, ignoring the broader interests of society and the nation.
“The nature of money laundering involves secretive plotting and covert actions. The case at hand is a textbook example of misuse of authority under the PMLA,” the judge commented.
These pointed remarks came as the court dismissed a legal process issued against a local developer by a special PMLA court on August 8, 2014, following a request from the ED.