SC slams Tamil Nadu district collectors for not appearing before ED

New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed five district collectors of Tamil Nadu for not appearing physically before the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case related to the sand mining matter.

A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal expressed unhappiness with the conduct of officers for not complying with its order and not appearing before ED.

The Supreme Court directed the officials to appear before the court on April 25. Thereafter, the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 6.

The court also remarked that when the court has asked the officials to appear before the probe agency, they must obey the court’s direction.

At this, Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Amit Anand Tiwari, for the Tamil Nadu government, clarified that officials were busy with poll-related works as the

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled in Tamil Nadu for April 19.

Earlier, the Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court’s interim order, asked the district collectors to appear before the ED in connection with the sand mining case and remarked that the Enforcement Directorate can summon any person it feels necessary during the investigation.

ED has approached the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court interim order staying the operation of the summonses issued by the central agency to district collectors in connection with a money laundering case related to sand mining.

The Madras High Court has stayed the operation of summons issued by the ED to Tamil Nadu’s District Collectors.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday submitted before the Supreme Court that the Tamil Nadu state is stepping into the shoes of the accused and trying to prevent the investigation into the sand mining case.

ED had initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2002 based on various FIRs filed across Tamil Nadu and information gleaned from open sources indicating widespread unauthorised sand mining along the riverbeds and basins of the state.