E-Paper
Tamil Nadu government, TASMAC move court against ED raids
The writ petition, filed earlier this week, seeks the court’s direction to order the ED that its searchers without the consent of the state are against federalism.
The Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) have jointly moved the Madras high court against the raids conducted earlier this month by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the department that has a monopoly over liquor sales.
A division bench of justices MS Ramesh and N Senthikumar on Wednesday accepted the state’s request for an early hearing on the matter. The writ petition, filed earlier this week, seeks the court’s direction to order the ED that its searchers without the consent of the state are against federalism. The central agency has exceeded its authority and it infringes on the state’s autonomy, said an official in the know of the matter and the petition on condition of anonymity. The affidavit also seeks the court’s direction to the ED to not harass TASMAC employees saying that they were questioned for long hours and to provide true copies of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).
The ED had conducted searches on March 6 and 8 at TASMAC headquarters in Chennai and subsequently on March 13 said that they found irregularities to the tune of ₹1,000 crore. Incriminating data related to transfer postings, transport tender, bar licence tender, indent orders favouring few distillery companies, excess charge of ₹10-30 per bottle by TASMAC were recovered during raids conducted in Chennai on March 6, ED had said. TASMAC comes under Senthil Balaji who is minister for excise besides electricity. Balaji is currently out on bail after being arrested by the ED in 2023 in another money laundering case involving jobs in the transport department.
On Wednesday, in the on-going assembly session, Balaji said that even after 10 days the ED has provided no explanation for conducting the searches. He was speaking to BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan raising the issue. BJP leaders have tried to protest against the irregularities before courting police detentionon Monday. Without naming the BJP, Balaji attacked the party saying that a section of people were unable to tolerate the achievements of the DMK government. “They somehow tried to expose the government with a magnifying glass, but found nothing, and so flogged themselves,” Balaji said referring to BJP state president K Annamalai flogging himself last December over his vexation with the DMK government. “With the agency in their hands, they initiated a raid on unconnected places and people, ahead of the Budget (on March 14) to prevent the schemes from reaching the people.”
Balaji also added that 603 retail shops under TASMAC have been closed down after the DMK came to power in 2021 keeping with its promise to phase it out.
