CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to explain the reasoning behind raiding and sealing properties of film producer Akash Bhaskaran and businessman Vikram Ravindran in the alleged Rs 1,000 crore Tasmac scam.
The court made these observations while hearing the petitions filed by the duo which sought to challenge the central agency’s probe against them. The pleas were heard by a division bench of Justice M S Ramesh and Justice V Lakshminarayanan.
Both Bhaskaran and Ravindran submitted that they had no connection with the alleged scam; while the former’s mobile phones and laptops had been seized, the latter’s properties had been sealed, which they contended was unjustified.
The bench recorded their submissions and questioned the ED’s authority to seal the homes and office premises of the duo.Responding to this, the ED counsel told the court that the central agency took this action as the properties were locked during the searches.
Notices had been pasted on the walls asking the individuals to appear before the agency and they had failed to do so even after a month, the counsel told the court. The court recorded the submission and adjourned the hearing to June 17 by which ED will file a response.