From 2014 to 2024, a total of 5,297 cases have been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), of which only 40 have seen convictions, the government told Parliament on Tuesday. The data shows that conviction in cases in comparison with registration is not even 1%.
The data shared by the ministry of home affairs in Lok Sabha on Tuesday is based on information received from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
Numbers through the years
According to the data, 2021 and 2022 saw the highest registration of cases under PMLA: 1,166 and 1,074.
Starting from 2014, data reveals that a total of 195 PMLA cases were registered that year. However, not a single case has seen acquittal or conviction.
Cases registered in the next two years were 148 and 170, but still no acquittal or conviction.
The number of cases went up to 171 in 2017 and two were acquitted that year while three were convicted. In 2018 there were 146 new cases but only two cases saw convictions.
While the Covid pandemic hit the country in 2019, the number of cases registered rose to 188, with four convictions. The year 2020 brought a staggering 708 cases, but only three saw convictions.
Then 2021 saw a peak, with 1,166 cases registered, but only two had convictions. In 2022, there were 1,074 cases and eight convictions. In 2023, the number of cases registered dropped to 934 while the number of convictions was nine. In 2024 so far, the year of general elections, the number of registered cases is 397, with one acquittal and nine convictions.
Highest number of arrests from Delhi
According to the ED data shared by the MHA, Delhi has seen the highest number of arrests under PMLA since 2016. In 2024 alone, the capital has had 36 arrests including of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
While Delhi leads the list with a total of 90 arrests, it is followed by Maharashtra with a total of 43 arrests. West Bengal has 42 arrests and Rajasthan has 24.
States and union territories that have not seen a single arrest under PMLA are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
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