The issue relates to a money laundering offense related to the Tasmac scam.
Information obtained from the mobile phone of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) CEO S Visakan has revealed the alleged involvement of film producer Akash Baskaran and his friend Vikram Ravindran in the money laundering offense related to the Tasmac scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Madras High Court said on Thursday.
Appearing before the first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, ED Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) N. Ramesh said that the agency had initially conducted a search and seizure operation at the Tasmac headquarters in Chennai in March 2025 and obtained important information related to proceeds of crime from electronic evidence.
After that, ED officials searched the film producer’s residence in Chennai and seized other materials. However, after he filed a plea in the High Court and divisional judges MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan passed an interim order in his favour, the seized materials were returned and all further proceedings against him were stayed, he said.
However, after the interim order was issued, the ED Deputy Director served the petitioner with a summons issued by the Judicial Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, leading to contempt proceedings, SPP said, pointing out that the ED had stopped all action in the entire money laundering matter related to Tasmac on the interim order passed by the Supreme Court.
After taking cognizance of the fact that the related matter was also taken up in the Supreme Court, the division bench adjourned the submission of the film producer’s petition to the fourth week of January. However, she disposed of two other court cases filed by his friend against the warrant issued to search and seize his residence and office in Chennai after the SPP said the warrant was subsequently revoked.
Mr. Ramesh said the doors of the compound were locked when the ED officials went for search and seizure. For this reason, they left the premises after placing a notice on the door that no one should enter the premises without the permission of the ED. After the bench headed by Justice Ramesh passed the interim orders, the notifications were withdrawn and the search warrant itself was withdrawn, he said.
Published – 11 Dec 2025 21:04 IST
