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[Order of the Court was made by S.M.SUBRAMANIAM, J] The case on hand has been instituted under Section 482 of Cr.PC to direct the Principal Sessions Judge / Special Court for PMLA and CBI cases, Puducherry to conduct simultaneous trial of cases in Spl.CC.No.1 of 2016 pending on the file of the Principal Sessions Judge, Special Court for CBI https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis Cases, Puducherry and Spl.CC.No.1 of 2019 pending on the file of the same Court.

2. It is not in dispute that the petitioner is an accused both in the scheduled offence as well as under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (herein after referred to as PMLA).

3. The learned counsel for the petitioner Mr.K.Thilageswaran would submit that in the event of completion of trial in PMLA case during the pendency of the predicate offence, the rights of the accused will be prejudiced. Therefore, the present petition is filed seeking simultaneous trial, both in PMLA case and in predicate offence registered under IPC.

6. The contention of the petitioner is that the right to fair trial to an accused is a basic right, which needs to be protected. Presuming that trial in PMLA case ended in conviction, the petitioner may not get fair opportunity in the trial in predicate offence. There is a possibility of contradiction which https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis may result in causing prejudice to the interest of an accused for fair trial, thus, simultaneous trial must be conducted.

18. Since, the nature of money laundering offence is distinguishable and unconnected with the nature of offences under the IPC (presently BNS), one is not dependant on the other and that being the position, there is no impediment for the Special Court to continue the trial under PMLA even during the pendency of the trial under predicate offence.

19. The present petition before us has been instituted under Section 482 of Cr.PC for a direction to the Special Court to conduct simultaneous trial. When the procedures contemplated under the PMLA for trial are distinct and different, question of conducting simultaneous or joint trial would not arise at all. That apart, the accused in a PMLA offence cannot be allowed to make any attempt to stall the trial on economic offences, since the procedures contemplated are independent. Thus we are not inclined to https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis consider the present petition.