Sand Mining Case: SC seeks TN govt’s response for filing plea against ED

The Supreme Court sought a response from the Tamil Nadu government on Friday, regarding its petition against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning the sand mining case.

Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit a reply to the ED’s plea against the Madras High Court’s interim order. The court scheduled the matter for February 26, 2024.

The ED has moved the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court’s interim order, which halted the execution of summonses issued by the central agency to district collectors in connection with a money laundering case related to sand mining. The court inquired how the state government could file a writ petition against the ED and under which law. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi stated that the state has the right to file the petition and mentioned that he could present relevant judgments on Monday. The Madras High Court had stayed the operation of summonses issued by the ED to Tamil Nadu’s District Collectors. The 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 obtained from open sources, which indicated widespread unauthorized sand mining along the riverbeds and basins of the state.