New Delhi: Days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned as many as 10 Tamil Nadu district collectors in a single go over alleged irregularities in sand mining, the M. Ok. Stalin authorities moved the Madras Excessive Court docket in opposition to the transfer Friday, in what seems to be a contemporary tussle between the DMK-ruled state and the Centre.
The listening to within the case is anticipated on Monday.
The state’s petitions on behalf of 5 of the collectors, accessed by ThePrint, name for the summons to be ‘quashed as without jurisdiction, illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional as they violate both the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 and the Constitution’.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam authorities has requested the court docket to offer an interim keep on the ED’s summons and additional proceedings.
The ED issued summons to the ten collectors from Ariyalur, Karur, Vellore, Thanjavur, Trichy amongst others — the senior most authorities of their districts for sand mining — through electronic mail final week, on 17 November, as a part of an ongoing investigation into alleged cash laundering.
The petition additionally questions the ED’s motivations behind exercising the PMLA on cash laundering solely in particular states whereas in others resembling Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, 1000’s of instances stay pending.
The PMLA doesn’t enable the ED to intervene in state issues and summon its officers for investigation, it contended.
The Tamil Nadu authorities has contested the summons, accusing the federal company of utilizing the act with “unguided and unchecked power” to intervene in a state in “a pick- and-choose approach, in violation of the principles of federalism”.
The PMLA is getting used to “impinge upon and hinder the power of the State Government to exclusively deal with its law and order situation, particularly in States not governed by the political party in power at the Centre”, it famous.
Within the second week of September, the ED carried out large raids within the state earlier this 12 months, throughout 34 areas, together with eight sand mining yards, all through six districts of Tamil Nadu linked to the alleged unlawful sand mining case. In accordance with the ED, varied paperwork together with unaccounted money totalling ₹ 2.33 crore and gold price Rs 56.86 lakh was discovered throughout the search.
Senior DMK chief Duraimurugan holds the portfolio of minerals and mines. Sand is offered on-line within the state by means of the water assets division’s web site and e-receipts are issued at designated depots. Nevertheless, the ED alleges that giant portions of sand are offered offline and never proven within the data.
The ED has summoned a number of DMK leaders, together with Vellore MP Kathir Anand, senior chief Duraimurugan’s son Durai Murugan Kathir Anand, increased schooling minister Ok. Ponmudy and his son Gautham Sigamani (additionally an MP), and fisheries and animal husbandry Anitha Radakrishnan, within the latest months.
Kathir Anand and Ok. Ponmudy have been summoned this month over comparable allegations of cash laundering, in reference to the Rs 11 crore present in a residence in Katpadi.
Furthermore, public works minister E. V. Velu, and Arakkonam MP S. Jagathrakshakan have additionally come below the radar of the Earnings Tax division not too long ago. Whereas the company searched roughly 40 areas linked to the previous union minister in October on suspicion of tax evasion, quite a few residences linked to Velu have been additionally raided within the first week of November. These raids have been linked to the I-T’s investigation associated to contractors and suppliers of the Tamil Nadu Electrical energy Board (TNEB).
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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