In a landmark ruling, the Madras High Court has declared that cryptocurrency qualifies as "property" under Indian law — a decision that gives digital assets legal standing in ownership, trust, and judicial protection.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh ruled on Saturday that while cryptocurrencies like XRP are neither physical assets nor legal tender, they exhibit all the core features of property.

“It is not a tangible property nor is it a currency. However, it is a property, which is capable of being enjoyed and possessed… capable of being held in trust,” he stated. Advertisement

The judgment came in response to a petition from an investor whose 3,532.30 XRP tokens — worth ₹1.98 lakh — were frozen after a major cyberattack on crypto exchange WazirX in July 2024. The hack, which targeted Ether

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