Supreme Court to Decide on SOP for Bank Account Freezing in Cybercrime Cases

A plea urges the Supreme Court to establish a Standard Operating Procedure for freezing and defreezing bank accounts during cybercrime probes. The petitioner argues that accounts are being frozen without notification, violating fundamental rights. The court will consider guidelines to prevent arbitrary actions and ensure procedural fairness.

The Supreme Court has been urged to establish a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the freezing and defreezing of bank accounts during cybercrime investigations. This plea was put forth in light of concerns over arbitrary actions by authorities.

A bench led by Justices Pankaj Mithal and SVN Bhatti has instructed that the plea be evaluated by Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, due to overlapping issues under consideration in another case. The plea highlights the need for transparency and timely notification to account holders, emphasizing adherence to procedural fairness.

Filed by petitioner Vivek Varshney, the plea argues that accounts are frozen without notice, leading to significant financial disruption. It calls for an immediate defreezing of the petitioner's accounts and seeks nationwide guidelines to safeguard citizens' financial rights, calling for a uniform policy to prevent unnecessary harassment.