New Delhi, Jan. 7 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday lamented what it described as a growing trend of the "rich and affluent" approaching constitutional courts to challenge the validity of penal laws after they are booked under these. It cautioned that such litigants cannot be permitted to bypass criminal trials by invoking writ jurisdiction. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the remarks while hearing a writ petition filed by Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who questioned the constitutional validity of Section 44(1)(c) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA essentially provides that once a money-laundering case is taken up by a special court, that court can also try the linked "scheduled offence" along with it, so that both cases proceed together instead of before separate courts. Notably, Khaitan is one of the accused facing PMLA prosecution by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopterdeal. He has also been booked under the the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015,a scheduled offence under PMLA. "This is a unique trend now. When trial is ongoing, the richand affluent move court challenging the vires of legislation. Face trial like any other citizen," CJI Kant remarked during the hearing. The Chief Justice went on to add that such a practice must be discouraged, observing that "these rich applicants think they can bypass any trial", and emphasising that they must be treated no differently from ordinary accused persons. Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Khaitan, argued that the writ petition raised an important constitutional question concerning the validity of Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA, which governs the trial of scheduled offences and money laundering offences by special courts. However, the bench was unconvinced that a separate writ petition was warranted at this stage. In its order, the court noted that the legality of key provisions of the PMLA, including those governing trial and procedure, is already under consideration in a batch of review petitions arising from its landmark 2022 judgment in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary Vs Union of India. In that ruling, the Supreme Court had upheld the core framework of the PMLA, including the ED's powers to arrest, conduct searches, attach property, and record statements....