In S. Srividhya and Ors. v. Assistant Director and Anr. [SLP(Crl) No. 10113-10115/2025], the Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stayed the trial of four accused under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The petitioners, represented by Senior Advocate PB Suresh, highlighted that they were not named in the predicate offence and that no chargesheet had been filed in the CBI case for over seven years. The CBI had registered an FIR in 2018 against M/s Cethar Limited based on Indian Bank’s complaint under IPC sections 120B, 406, 420, 468, and 471. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate registered an ECIR and initiated proceedings under PMLA. The petitioners, all women and family members of the company's former Chairman, contended they were dragged into prosecution merely due to family association, with no direct link to proceeds of crime. The Court's stay order underscores the importance of timely prosecution in predicate offences and reinforces that PMLA proceedings must be rooted in substantial evidence and procedural fairness, not assumptions or indefinite delays.