Home / Crime and Justice / Madras High Court Holds PMLA Authority in Contempt for Defying Interim Order
Madras High Court Holds PMLA Authority in Contempt for Defying Interim Order
18 Oct, 2025
Summary
- Madras High Court issued contempt notice to PMLA authority
- PMLA authority summoned film producer despite court's interim order
- Court directed personal appearance of PMLA authority's chairperson and registrar
On October 18, 2025, the Madras High Court took a strong stance against the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) adjudicating authority, issuing a statutory contempt of court notice for its actions in defiance of the court's interim order.
The issue stems from an ongoing investigation into a suspected liquor scam involving Tasmac, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation. As part of this probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted searches at the properties of film producer Akash Bhaskaran and businessman Vikram Ravindran, seizing documents from Bhaskaran.
However, the high court had previously directed the ED to return the seized documents to Bhaskaran and restrained the agency from taking any further action based on those documents. Despite this interim order, the PMLA adjudicating authority proceeded to issue summons to Bhaskaran, prompting the court to take action.
The division bench of Justices M.S. Ramesh and V. Lakshminarayanan has now ordered the personal appearance of the PMLA authority's chairperson and registrar on November 14, 2025, to address the contempt of court allegations. This development underscores the court's commitment to upholding its orders and ensuring the proper conduct of the ongoing investigation.
