Tamil Nadu Withdraws Plea to Transfer ED Raid Case

The Tamil Nadu government withdrew its plea to transfer a case involving ED raids on TASMAC from the Madras High Court to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court stated the lower court is equipped to handle the issue. Allegations include data seizures without warrants and lengthy detentions.

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday decided to withdraw its plea requesting the transfer of a case regarding Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) from the Madras High Court to the Supreme Court. This move follows statements from a bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, alongside Justice Sanjay Kumar, affirming the competency of the Madras High Court to address the issues surrounding the search and seizure of electronic devices.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Tamil Nadu, subsequently retracted the plea, which contested the ED's authority to conduct search and seizure operations at TASMAC. The plea raised significant concerns about the legality of the ED's actions, alleging the seizure of electronic gadgets from TASMAC employees without warrants and extended detentions exceeding 60 hours during the raids.

Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, defending the ED, dismissed Tamil Nadu's plea as "forum shopping". However, the Supreme Court did not show interest in transferring the case from the Madras High Court. As a result, Tamil Nadu opted to withdraw its request for a transfer. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)