Overview
- A division bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan dismissed the writ petitions on January 5, 2026.
- The petitions by Minister I. Periyasamy, his son I. P. Senthilkumar, and daughter P. Indira sought to quash the ECIR and all consequential ED actions, including a Section 17(4) application and a show cause notice.
- The court held that the petitioners bypassed the statutory route under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and must first approach the adjudicating authority.
- The ED registered an ECIR in July 2025 and carried out searches at Periyasamy’s residence and official premises after taking cognisance of the alleged offence.
- The money-laundering probe stems from a 2012 DVAC disproportionate-assets case of Rs. 2.01 crore, in which a discharge by the special court was set aside by the High Court in 2025 and is presently under an interim Supreme Court stay.