Patiala House Court —
CBI · PMLA · NDPS Special Courts

Patiala House Court Complex houses several specialised criminal courts. The CBI Special Court designated under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 sits here for matters investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The PMLA Special Court designated under Section 43 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 hears prosecution complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate. The NDPS Special Court designated under Section 36A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 hears commercial-quantity drug matters. In addition, the District Sessions Court for the New Delhi District (Lutyens, Connaught Place, ITO, Mandi House) operates from Patiala House.

Patiala House Court Complex is at Bhagwan Das Road, near India Gate, New Delhi 110001 — adjacent to the National Stadium and the Delhi High Court. The complex is in central Delhi, close to ED Pravartan Bhawan and CBI headquarters at Lodhi Road. Public entry is from Bhagwan Das Road. The complex is one of the older Delhi court complexes and houses both general district courts and special courts in adjacent buildings.

PMLA bail at the Special Court is governed by Section 45 PMLA — the twin-test framework upheld in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary (2022). The Public Prosecutor must be heard, and the court must be satisfied of reasonable grounds for believing the accused is not guilty and will not commit any offence on bail. In practice, the standard is exceptionally difficult to satisfy at the Special Court level. Realistic bail strategy in PMLA matters typically targets the Delhi High Court under Section 483 BNSS, or the Supreme Court via SLP, rather than expecting a Special Court grant. The Special Court does, however, hear interim applications, default-bail applications under Section 187(3) BNSS where chargesheet is delayed, and bail-cancellation applications.

CBI Special Court trials at Patiala House are evidence-heavy. From cognisance to final disposal, timelines vary widely — straightforward bribery matters under PC Act Section 7 may conclude in 2 to 3 years; complex bank-fraud and disproportionate-assets matters under Section 13(1)(b) often extend 5 to 8 years through trial alone. The 2023 BNSS reforms include time-bound directions in Section 346 — but practical compliance varies. Defence strategy throughout is methodical: cross-examination on documentary inconsistencies, preservation of Section 19 PC Act sanction objections, expert evidence challenges where digital evidence is involved, and final-arguments mapping to Bhajan Lal and Antil principles.

Anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS for matters within the territorial jurisdiction of Patiala House (New Delhi District: Lutyens, Connaught Place, ITO, Mandi House, Sansad Marg, India Gate, Tilak Marg) is filed before the Sessions Judge or Additional Sessions Judge at the Patiala House complex. For PMLA, CBI, and special-act matters, the Sessions Court application can be made at Patiala House; the High Court route under Section 482 BNSS is also available, particularly where the matter requires the Delhi High Court's supervisory jurisdiction. Drafting and filing typically takes 12 to 24 hours; listing follows the same-day or next-day mention practice for urgent matters.

Yes. For arrests by CBI within the New Delhi District, by ED in PMLA matters, and by Delhi Police in matters within the territorial jurisdiction, remand is conducted before the duty magistrate or the relevant Special Court at Patiala House. The duty magistrate sits during weekday court hours; for non-court hours, the Link Magistrate at the residence sits. Counsel attendance at first remand is critical — the arrest memo, grounds-of-arrest document, and procedural compliance under Sections 41 and 47 BNSS are reviewed at this stage. Defects identified at remand frequently support subsequent bail and habeas corpus applications.

Yes. The firm regularly appears at the CBI Special Court, the PMLA Special Court, the NDPS Special Court, and the New Delhi District Sessions Court at Patiala House for the full range of criminal matters. Senior Partner Advocate Subodh Bajpai (LLM, MBA — XLRI Jamshedpur) leads the criminal practice. The team handles Section 480 BNSS bail applications, anticipatory bail under Section 482 BNSS, PMLA Section 45 applications, default bail under Section 187(3) BNSS, remand attendance, trial defence, and cross-examination work. For matters before Patiala House, contact +91 84008 60008 (mark URGENT for arrest matters) or legal@unifiedchambers.com.