With ‘heavy heart’, SC agrees to govt plea to defer PMLA hearing

After almost two days of hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the validity of some provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and for review of a 2022 verdict which upheld the law, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that the case would have to be heard afresh by a new bench as the Centre pressed for adjournment and the presiding judge is retiring next month. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta said he was “handicapped” and needed some time to respond to the pleas of the petitioners who have expanded their challenge to the 2022 verdict beyond the issues they had initially raised.