The Madras High Court has initiated contempt proceedings against Vikas Kumar, an Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), issuing a notice in response to a petition by film producer Akash Bhaskaran. Bhaskaran’s petition alleges that the ED disregarded a court-issued stay order and continued its investigation into money laundering allegations against him. Justices M.S. Ramesh and V. Lakshminarayanan, forming the Division Bench, have instructed the ED to respond to the petition, setting the next hearing for September 17th.
The core of Bhaskaran’s complaint lies in the Assistant Director’s issuance of a show cause notice, despite the court’s existing stay order. This triggered Bhaskaran’s legal action. The ED’s initial actions in May 2025 involved raids on the premises of Bhaskaran and his associate, Vikram Ravindran, and subsequent seizures. These actions were linked to an investigation into a suspected ₹1,000 crore money laundering scheme related to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC). The ED had also sealed the properties.
Bhaskaran and Ravindran challenged these actions in the Madras High Court, claiming the sealing was unlawful under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The High Court, on June 20th, halted further ED proceedings, ordering the immediate return of seized items and the unsealing of the locations. The court ruled the agency’s actions were “completely outside its jurisdiction” due to a lack of evidence. In August 2025, the High Court had also imposed a fine of ₹30,000 on the ED for failing to file timely counter-affidavits. The current notice represents further action by the court.