Supreme Court to Hear Tamil Nadu's Plea on ED Raids

The Supreme Court will soon address Tamil Nadu's request to move its case regarding Enforcement Directorate searches from Madras High Court to another state. The ED raids uncovered serious financial misconduct at TASMAC, prompting the state to allege harassment of its employees under the guise of investigations.

The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to consider a request from the Tamil Nadu government to transfer their case concerning Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches from the Madras High Court to an alternative High Court outside of the state. This new development follows the ED's recent raids on the state-run liquor retailer, TASMAC, sparking legal contention.

Senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, representing the Tamil Nadu government, emphasized the urgency of the matter before the Supreme Court, suggesting a need for expedited hearings before the next scheduled session in the High Court. A bench comprised of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan acknowledged the request, stating, "We will list it," according to the CJI.

The Madras High Court had previously, on March 20, instructed the ED to halt further actions following its raids on TASMAC headquarters. When the High Court reconvened on March 25, it recused itself from the cases filed by the state and TASMAC regarding the ED's recent activities, subsequently scheduling a final hearing for April 8. The ED maintains discoveries of significant financial irregularities, while TASMAC alleges harassment of its workers under the guise of investigations.

(With inputs from agencies.)