ED’s blackmail raids laid bare by top court: DMK

CHENNAI: Buoyed by the Supreme Court stay against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the Tasmac scam case, the ruling DMK celebrated the damning Supreme Court’s interim order as a vindication of its position and said that the BJP-led union government was unleashing the ED to defame the DMK regime.

Moments after the apex court order flashed on television channels, DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi said, “Unable to tolerate the successive electoral victories of the DMK, the BJP regime at the Centre has unleashed central agencies like the ED to defame the DMK.”

Arguing that only a few of the 44 FIRs registered in Tasmac were selectively used by the ED with the intention to defame the DMK, Bharathi said the Supreme Court has pointed out that the ED was functioning like a blackmailing institution across the country.

“The BJP is unleashing the ED in states not ruled by the saffron party. The apex court order is a vindication of the legal position taken by the DMK regime. The top court has dealt a hammer blow to the ED,” Bharathi told media persons at Anna Arivalayam.

SC prima facie accepted our argument: NR Elango

Later, in a presser convened at Arivalayam, senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member NR Elango said that the SC has prima facie accepted the argument of the Tamil Nadu government that the actions of ED were unfair and against federalism, state autonomy and borne out of political acrimony.

Pointing out that many cases were filed against individual Tasmac employees since 2014 for possession of unaccounted cash ranging from Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh, Elango said, “If correct explanation is provided by the employees, the cases will be closed. If not, the cases will proceed. In most of the 47 cases, the employees provided fair reasoning. In some cases, it has also resulted in acquittal.”

Arguing that the ED could only act against those employees named in the FIRs for allegedly committing the predicate offence, Elango said, “But, ED raided Tasmac headquarters and issued a statement like politicians, alleging Rs 1,000 crore scam. It is illegal. The Tamil Nadu government and the DMK have been reiterating this. The SC has prima facie accepted the argument and held that the agency has violated the procedural law, Constitution and federalism.”

Stating that it was a verdict for the whole country, the DMK Rajya Sabha MP reasoned that more ED raids were happening in Tamil Nadu because of the 2026 Assembly polls, just like it happened in Delhi some time back. “The people are aware of it. It is happening in West Bengal too.

The Supreme Court is paying close attention to it,” he added. Asked if the DMK would invoke the Prevention of Money Laundering Act provisions to prosecute ED officials committing excesses, Elango said, “We will initiate suitable action at the appropriate time.”