The Madras High Court has put a hold on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) actions against film producer Akash Baskaran and businessman Vikram Ravindran. The two men are accused of being involved in a massive money laundering scheme worth around 1000 crore rupees.
Judges MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan issued an interim stay on the ED’s actions after hearing petitions filed by Baskaran and Ravindran. The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 16.
Baskaran and Ravindran’s lawyers, senior advocates Vijay Narayanan and Abudukumar, argued that their clients have no connection to the Tasmac case, which is at the center of the money laundering allegations. They also pointed out that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has not filed any First Information Reports (FIRs) against their clients, and there is no prior record of any offenses committed by them.
The court noted that the special public prosecutor had submitted a sealed cover containing information about the petitioners, which allegedly indicated their involvement in the money laundering case. However, the court expressed skepticism about this claim, stating that the sealed cover was submitted without a date or signature, and the accompanying note was not clear.
The judges observed that the additional solicitor general had earlier stated that the ED had already been instructed to de-seal the premises of one of the petitioners, Vikram. The court recorded this statement and granted the additional solicitor general four weeks to file a counter-affidavit.
In its final order, the court said that it would grant an interim stay on all further proceedings until the disposal of the writ petition. The court also directed the ED to return all seized properties to the petitioners until the final disposal of the petition and restrained the petitioners from tampering with the digital devices that would be returned to them.