Overview
- ED filed a writ seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu DGP to register FIRs on information it shared in June 2024 about alleged large-scale illegal sand mining, which the agency claims caused ecological harm and about ₹4,730 crore in losses.
- The division bench issued notice to the State, queried the ED’s authority to seek such a remedy against another agency, and adjourned the case for three weeks for a counter affidavit.
- ED cited Section 66(2) of the PMLA and the Supreme Court’s Vijay Madanlal Choudhary observations to argue that police are obliged to act on information the agency shares.
- Advocate General P. S. Raman argued that registering FIRs lies within police discretion and said the proper course for refusal is a private complaint before a magistrate rather than a writ petition.
- The State accused ED of selective enforcement and cautioned that new FIRs could lead to arrests of district collectors, as the court noted earlier Madras High Court orders quashing ED attachments were left intact after the Supreme Court dismissed ED’s appeal.