TASMAC: Tamil Nadu Govt Faces Court Rebuke Over ED Raid Petition

The Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) has moved the Madras High Court, challenging the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raid on TASMAC headquarters.

They TN government requested the court to restrain the ED from allegedly harassing officials under the pretext of investigation. A petition was also filed in the Supreme Court, objecting to Justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar hearing the TASMAC case. This petition was listed for hearing today in the Supreme Court, ANI reported.

The judges, however, expressed their discontent, stating that if they had been informed earlier about the Supreme Court proceedings, they wouldn't have listed the case for hearing. They strongly criticized the government, remarking that such actions undermine the dignity of the court and emphasized that honesty in court dealings is essential.

Additionally, the judges questioned whether the petition was genuinely in public interest or merely intended to protect certain TASMAC officials. The state government defended its stance, asserting that the petition was filed to uphold the state's rights and that they had the authority to approach the court.

Following this, the court adjourned the hearing, instructing the Tamil Nadu government to present its arguments at 2:15 pm if the Supreme Court had not yet taken up the matter.

However, the Tamil Nadu government opted to withdraw the case against the ED's raid. The state's Advocate General requested time to officially communicate this decision to the court.

In response, the judges stated that a formal affidavit must be submitted for the case to be withdrawn. However, since both the Tamil Nadu government and TASMAC had filed separate petitions, the ED contended that the government alone could not unilaterally withdraw the case.

The Madras High Court subsequently granted the state government permission to file a brief affidavit on the matter.