The white-collar and economic-offence practice of Advocate Subodh Bajpai covers accused persons, witnesses and companies under investigation in Delhi. The criminal practice at Unified Chambers And Associates was added in 2026 alongside the debt-recovery practice — covering Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) proceedings, Enforcement Directorate matters, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) matters under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, anticipatory bail, Delhi High Court bail, and bank-fraud defence.
Forums: the Delhi High Court (criminal benches); the designated PMLA Special Courts in Delhi; the CBI Special Courts at the Rouse Avenue Court Complex; and the district courts of Delhi — Tis Hazari, Patiala House, Karkardooma, Rohini, Saket, Dwarka and Rouse Avenue.
Since 1 July 2024 the criminal law is the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. Anticipatory bail now lies under Section 482 BNSS (formerly Section 438 CrPC), regular bail under Section 483 BNSS (formerly Section 439 CrPC), and the High Court’s inherent powers, including quashing, under Section 528 BNSS (formerly Section 482 CrPC). The PMLA itself was not replaced: under its Section 65, the general code of criminal procedure applies only so far as it is not inconsistent with the PMLA.
Practice notes for each area are on the firm site at unifiedchambers.com/criminal-defence-delhi.
A money-laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 follows a defined statutory sequence, and the window to intervene differs at each stage. The overview below is general procedural information; any specific matter turns on its own facts and the predicate offence involved.
The Enforcement Directorate records an Enforcement Case Information Report — an internal document that opens the investigation. Unlike an FIR, the ECIR is not necessarily furnished to the accused; the scheduled (predicate) offence in the related FIR or complaint defines the alleged proceeds of crime.
Section 50 empowers the ED to summon persons to give evidence and produce records. A person summoned is bound to state the truth and produce the documents required (Section 50(3)), and the proceeding is deemed a judicial proceeding (Section 50(4)). Preparation before each appearance therefore matters — the scope of questioning and the documents to be produced need to be worked through in advance.
An arrest under Section 19 requires the officer to have material in possession giving reason to believe that the person is guilty of an offence under the Act, recorded in writing, and the person must be informed of the grounds of arrest. It is settled that the grounds must be furnished in writing; a failure to do so is itself a ground to challenge the arrest.
The ED may provisionally attach property believed to be proceeds of crime under Section 5. The order is for a period not exceeding 180 days, and a complaint stating the facts of the attachment must be filed before the Adjudicating Authority within thirty days (Section 5(5)), where the owner can contest whether the property is in fact proceeds of crime.
The Adjudicating Authority decides under Section 8 whether to confirm the attachment; a provisional attachment that is not confirmed lapses at the end of its 180-day period. This is the first substantive forum to test the ED's case on the existence and tracing of proceeds of crime, with an appeal lying to the Appellate Tribunal.
Bail in PMLA matters is governed by the twin conditions in Section 45: after the Public Prosecutor has had an opportunity to oppose the application, the court must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not guilty of the offence and is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.
The PMLA trial proceeds before the designated PMLA Special Courts in Delhi, often alongside the trial of the scheduled offence. Defence work covers the tracing of proceeds, the status of the scheduled offence, and the weight of Section 50 statements.
For the advocate’s background and the firm’s two practice areas, see About Advocate Subodh Bajpai and the legal advisory overview. Jurisdiction and appeal routes for the Delhi courts are on the courts and tribunals page.
Each area has a page on the firm site with procedural notes. The links below open the firm-site pages.
To contact the chambers on a criminal matter, write to connect@subodhbajpai.in or use the contact form. Every engagement is recorded in a written engagement letter.