Supreme Court to Frame SOP on Bank Account Freezing Amid Cybercrime Probes

The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea urging the formulation of a uniform Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for freezing and de-freezing bank accounts during cybercrime investigations. The petitioner contends that existing arbitrary practices lead to financial paralysis and violate fundamental rights, calling for procedural fairness nationwide.

The Supreme Court is set to review a petition seeking a uniform Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the freezing and de-freezing of bank accounts in cybercrime probes. This comes in response to claims of arbitrary account freezes resulting in financial hardships.

A bench consisting of Justices Pankaj Mithal and SVN Bhatti has asked for the petition to be submitted to the Centre within three days, with the case scheduled for the following week. The plea, filed by petitioner Vivek Varshney, through advocate Tushar Manohar Khairnar, highlights the lack of notification and judicial approval in account freezes.

The petition emphasizes the necessity of standard guidelines to prevent inconsistent practices and prolonged account freezes. It seeks the court's intervention to ensure procedural safeguards, proportionality, and accountability, thereby protecting individuals from financial paralysis due to cybercrime investigations.

(With inputs from agencies.)