CHENNAI: Seeking to turn the tables on the allies of the Centre-ruling BJP, which is often accused of using central agencies to target political rivals, DMK Rajya Sabha member R Girirajan has moved the Madras High Court seeking directions to the Directorate of Enforcement to register ECIRs under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against senior AIADMK leaders, citing pending cases registered against them by the DVAC.
The DMK leader has filed nine individual writ petitions before the High Court, seeking a direction to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to register Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) for offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The target of his petition are influential AIADMK leaders SP Velumani, P Thangamani, C Vijayabaskar, MR Vijaya Bhaskar, C Kamaraj, KC Veeramani and KP Anbalagan, all of whom were ministers when the party was in power for 10 years between 2011 and 2011. Besides them, Girirajan has also filed petitions against former MLA B Sathyanarayanan alias ‘T Nagar’ Sathya, and R Elangovan alias ‘Salem’ Salem, the former president of Salem District Central Co-operative Bank.
In his plea, the Parliamentarian said that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had registered cases during 2021, 2022, and 2024 against the said former ministers and others based on serious allegations, including possession of disproportionate assets and misappropriation of public funds.
Girirajan submitted that relevant documentary evidence in support of these allegations was already with the DVAC. The Enforcement Directorate is empowered to initiate proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the incriminating material, he argued.
However, despite corruption cases having been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act against these former ministers, the central agency has not initiated proceedings under PMLA, which, according to the petitioner, was surprising.
The plea also alleges that the inaction of the Enforcement Directorate raises apprehensions, particularly in view of the AIADMK's alliance with the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre. In his submission, he further stated that despite submission of complaints, no action has been taken so far.
The matters are expected to be listed for hearing shortly.