SC tells Tamil Nadu govt to work with ED

Supreme Court said state govt officials should cooperate with Enforcement Directorate ED) in its probe in money laundering cases and questioned the Madras high court order staying ED’s summonses to five district collectors of Tamil Nadu in illegal sand mining cases. The observation could potentially have implications for cases in opposition-ruled states which are being probed by the agency. The district collectors were summoned by the central agency on Nov 17 but Tamil Nadu govt along with the aggrieved bureaucrats approached Madras HC and filed writ petitions alleging violation of their fundamental rights by ED. Allowing their plea, HC had stayed the summons. ED moved SC to challenge the HC order. The SC bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said, “How can the state file this writ petition? Under which law...You satisfy us on how the state is interested and how it can file this writ petition against the Enforcement Directorate. How is the state aggrieved?”