Madras HC adjourns hearing of minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan's plea seeking to quash PMLA case

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court adjourned the hearing of the plea preferred by Minister Anitha R. Radhakrishnan, seeking to quash the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case.

A division bench of Justice MS Ramesh and Justice Sunder Mohan heard the petition moved by the minister seeking to quash the PMLA case registered by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and all the proceedings emanating from the case.

The counsel representing the minister submitted that without proceeds of crime PMLA case cannot be registered against his client.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan representing ED objected to the submission and said that the investigating agency has collected several pieces of evidence.

After the submission, the bench posted the matter to August 6 for further hearing.

In 2006, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) registered the disproportionate assets case against Minister Radhakrishnan, under the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988. The case was registered against Radhakrishnan that he amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income when he held the portfolio of Housing Minister during the 2001-2006 AIADMK regime.

Based on the DVAC investigation, in 2020 the ED registered another case against the minister, under PMLA.

The ED claimed that during the investigation it collected various pieces of evidence and revealed the unique modus operandi which the accused used to infuse the unaccounted money into the various bank accounts.