Fri Jun 20 06:26:26 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The Madras High Court has issued a stay on all further proceedings by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against film producer Akash Baskaran and his friend Vikram Ravindran in connection to a money laundering probe related to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The court found that the ED’s authorization for search and seizure operations was issued without proper justification or incriminating evidence linking Baskaran and Ravindran to the case. The court also ordered the ED to return all seized materials to the petitioners, but the materials are not to be tampered with. The ED’s request for a temporary suspension of the stay to allow for a potential appeal to the Supreme Court was denied.

**News Article:**

**Madras High Court Halts ED Action Against Film Producer in TASMAC Money Laundering Probe**

**Chennai, June 20, 2025** – The Madras High Court today delivered a significant blow to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), staying all further proceedings against film producer Akash Baskaran and his associate Vikram Ravindran in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation related to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC).

A Division Bench, comprising Justices M.S. Ramesh and V. Laksminarayanan, ruled that the ED’s authorization for searches and seizures at the residences and office of Baskaran and Ravindran was “wholly without authority or jurisdiction.” After reviewing sealed records presented by the ED, the court found no substantive evidence linking the petitioners to the alleged TASMAC money laundering scheme.

“The so-called information produced by the Directorate before us had absolutely no semblance of information which may have led them to believe that the petitioners may be involved in the offence of money laundering,” the Bench stated.

The court has ordered the ED to return all seized items, including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, and lease rental deeds, to Baskaran and Ravindran. However, the petitioners are prohibited from tampering with or disposing of the materials pending further orders.

The ED’s plea for a three-week stay on the court’s order to allow for a potential appeal to the Supreme Court was denied, with the court issuing the order copy today. The decision raises serious questions about the ED’s investigative processes and the basis for targeting Baskaran and Ravindran in the TASMAC probe.

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