Chennai, June 24:
The Madras High Court has extended the interim stay on the trial proceedings in a disproportionate assets case pending against former Tamil Nadu minister Anitha Radhakrishnan in the Thoothukudi court.
The case dates back to allegations that during his tenure as a minister between 2001 and 2006, Anitha Radhakrishnan had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed the case in 2019, accusing him and his family members of accumulating assets worth approximately ₹2.07 crore beyond legitimate income. The trial has since been underway in a Thoothukudi court.
Subsequently, in 2025, the Enforcement Directorate registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before a special court in Madurai, based on the same allegations.
Seeking consolidation of proceedings, the Enforcement Directorate moved the High Court requesting that the disproportionate assets case pending in Thoothukudi be transferred to the PMLA special court in Madurai. Acting on this plea, the High Court had earlier granted an interim stay on the Thoothukudi trial.
When the matter came up again before a division bench comprising Chief Justice S. A. Dharamadikari and Justice G. Arulmurugan, counsel appearing for Anitha Radhakrishnan sought vacating of the interim stay to allow the trial in Thoothukudi to continue.
However, the bench directed both the Enforcement Directorate and the DVAC to file their responses within two weeks. Meanwhile, the judges ordered that the interim stay on the Thoothukudi court proceedings would continue until further hearing.
The case remains under judicial consideration, with further developments expected after responses are filed and the matter is taken up for the next hearing.