The Madras High Court has taken action against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), issuing a notice to its Assistant Director, Vikas Kumar. The move stems from a contempt petition filed by film producer Akash Bhaskaran, who alleges that the ED continued its investigation into money laundering charges against him, even after the court had issued a stay order. The High Court’s division bench, consisting of Justices M.S. Ramesh and V. Lakshminarayanan, has requested a response from the ED and scheduled the next hearing for September 17th.
Bhaskaran’s complaint centers on the Assistant Director issuing a show cause notice despite the court’s stay order. The initial ED action involved raids in May 2025 on Bhaskaran and his associate, Vikram Ravindran, leading to seizures. This was part of an investigation into a purported ₹1,000 crore money laundering case linked to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The ED also sealed the residences and offices of those involved.
Bhaskaran and Ravindran challenged the ED’s actions in the Madras High Court. They argued that the sealing of premises was unlawful under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The High Court, on June 20th, halted all further ED proceedings, mandating the return of seized materials and the unsealing of the properties. The court found the agency’s actions “completely outside its jurisdiction” due to insufficient evidence. Previously, in August 2025, the High Court had fined the ED ₹30,000 for delays in filing counter-affidavits in Bhaskaran’s petitions. This recent notice to the Assistant Director is a follow-up to those earlier actions.