Chennai, May 23:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the Tamil Nadu government seeking permission to interrogate former minister Anitha Radhakrishnan under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In its communication, the central agency has requested formal sanction to proceed with the investigation, citing alleged violations linked to unlawful financial transactions. The ED has claimed that irregular money transfers form part of a larger money laundering case currently under its scrutiny.
The latest move comes amid ongoing action by the agency in Tamil Nadu. Notably, just a few days ago, the ED had sent a similar communication to the state government seeking sanction to prosecute and interrogate former minister V. Senthil Balaji in connection with an alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
The agency had submitted supporting evidence along with its prosecution complaint, stressing that government approval is mandatory to proceed against a public servant under the PMLA.
That request followed procedural developments in which an earlier attempt routed through the Governor was redirected to the state government, placing the onus on it to decide on granting sanction. The ED’s back-to-back communications now underline a broader push to secure approvals in multiple high-profile cases in Tamil Nadu.