Overview
- The Supreme Court affirmed that Bitcoin custodied by regulated exchanges qualifies as seizable property under the Criminal Procedure Act.
- The ruling stems from a 2020 money‑laundering probe that seized 55.6 BTC from an exchange account, with the suspect’s final appeal rejected on December 11, 2025.
- Judges held that Bitcoin is an electronic token that can be independently managed and economically controlled in practice through private keys.
- Prosecutors and police now have a clear basis to order freezes and transfers of suspect crypto from exchanges, which must comply when proper procedures are followed.
- The precedent builds on 2018 and 2021 decisions recognizing crypto as property and comes as regulators consider preemptive freezes and advance Phase 2 rules, with significant impact in a market of over 16 million exchange accounts.