In Brief
A high-ranking civil servant (Deputy Secretary, Chief Minister's Office, Chhattisgarh) was arrested for money laundering under the PMLA and related IPC offences. The High Court dismissed her bail application. She appealed arguing that: (1) no scheduled offence existed against her since Sections 384 and 120-B were dropped from the chargesheet against the predicate accused; and (2) as a woman, she deserved bail under the PMLA's protective proviso. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that bail benefits for women under Section 45(1) are discretionary, not automatic. The Court also held that PMLA proceedings can continue even if scheduled offences are dropped from the predicate chargesheet, unless the predicate accused is finally absolved by acquittal, discharge, or quashing. The Court also penalised the appellant for misrepresenting facts in the SLP petition."
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