Tasmac case: Madras HC halts ED probe against film producer, businessman says no direct evidence against Akash Baskaran, Vikram Ravindran; declares ED raids illegal, orders return of seized items
CHENNAI: In a major setback for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Madras high court on Friday restrained the agency from continuing its investigation into the roles of film producer Akash Baskaran and businessman Vikram Ravindran in the Tasmac money laundering case.
A division bench comprising Justices M S Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan observed that there was no direct evidence in the documents submitted by the ED to prove the duo's involvement in the alleged money laundering.
The court also declared the searches conducted on their premises illegal and directed the ED to return all items seized during the raids.
Akash Baskaran of Dawn Pictures and businessman Vikram Ravindran had moved the High Court seeking relief after the ED searched their homes and offices as part of its probe into alleged money laundering through Tasmac (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation), and sealed their premises.
The ED had earlier conducted searches at Tasmac outlets, distilleries, and breweries in March, claiming to have unearthed illegal cash generation worth Rs 1,000 crore.
In May, fresh searches were carried out covering Baskaran and Ravindran while the ED was interrogating Tasmac Managing Director S Visakan at its office.
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