Overview
- Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi dismissed Gautam Khaitan’s writ petition and told him to face trial like any other citizen.
- The bench condemned what it called a trend of affluent accused filing constitutional challenges during ongoing trials, saying the practice must stop.
- The judges directed that the legality of Section 44(1)(c) be addressed within the existing PMLA review proceedings arising from Vijay Madanlal, keeping the question of law open.
- Liberty to intervene in those review matters was granted to senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, not to the petitioner.
- Section 44(1)(c) provides for related scheduled-offence and money-laundering cases to be tried together before a Special Court where practicable, and Khaitan faces charges linked to the AgustaWestland case.