Anita Radhakrishnan DA case: ED moves Madras High Court to shift trial to Madurai

The Madras High Court has admitted for hearing a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking the transfer of the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anita Radhakrishnan from a Thoothukudi court to the designated special court in Madurai.

The ED urged the court to move the case involving Radhakrishnan and his family members — related to assets allegedly disproportionate to known sources of income — from the Thoothukudi court to the Madurai court.

According to the case records, the allegations relate to the period between 2001 and 2006 when Anita Radhakrishnan served as the MLA from Tiruchendur and held the portfolios of Animal Husbandry and Housing. Investigators alleged that during this period, assets linked to him rose sharply.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed a chargesheet in 2013 stating that Radhakrishnan’s assets, which stood at ₹23.36 lakh in 2001, had increased to about ₹6.86 crore by 2006. The agency alleged that assets worth over ₹2 crore could not be properly accounted for.

Based on this, the ED registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In the petition filed before the High Court, ED Assistant Director Nalini Krishnan said that the Principal Sessions Court in Madurai has been designated as the special court to hear cases under the PMLA. The agency argued that the corruption case currently being heard in the Thoothukudi court must be transferred to the designated special court in Madurai in order to proceed effectively with the money laundering case.

The petition also noted that the Thoothukudi court had, on December 11, 2025, rejected the ED’s request for transfer, stating that it did not have the authority to order such a move. Challenging this decision, the ED approached the Madras High Court.

Appearing for the ED, counsel Siddharthan argued that under Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA, the agency has the authority to seek the transfer of related cases to the designated special court. He submitted that the refusal by the Thoothukudi court was contrary to the provisions of the law.

Hearing the petition on Thursday (March 12, 2026), a Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan issued notice to the respondents.

The court directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and other respondents, including Minister Anita Radhakrishnan, to file their responses within four weeks. The Bench also ordered that notices be issued in the matter.