CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday disposed of two petitions filed by businessman Vikram Raveendran seeking to quash the authorisation of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to hold search and seizure operations on his premises, and to de-seal the two premises which were sealed by the ED in May this year.
When the petitions came up for hearing before the first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan, special public prosecutor for ED N Ramesh submitted that the petitions have become infructuous since the authorisation was recalled by the agency and nothing survives.
Subsequently, the bench disposed of the petitions as the petitioner’s counsel K M Kalicharan agreed to do so.
However, the bench adjourned another petition filed by film producer Akash Baskaran against the ED’s proceedings on money laundering.
The matter pertains to the proceedings initiated by the ED which embarked on a search and seizure exercise on the premises of Vikram Raveendran and Akash Baskaran alleging they were involved in money laundering in connection with the ‘Tasmac scam’.
Vikram Raveendran’s premises at the Poes Garden in the city and OMR were sealed by the ED since they were found locked during the search.
The agency also seized certain gadgets from them.
They challenged the ED action in the high court, which had stayed all further proceedings after finding the ED does not have powers to seal premises, besides failing to produce the “reasons to believe” the petitioners were involved in money laundering.