Chennai: Madras high court has stayed the prosecution against folk artist (Kar-agatta dancer) Mohanambal, allegedly involved in smuggling red-sanders, under money laundering case filed by Enforcement Directorate.
When a petition filed by Mohanambal came up for hearing before Justice M.S. Ramesh, the judge has stayed the proceeding and directed ED to file its reply by July 28, 2017.
A few years ago, the state police seized Rs 4 crore and gold from the house of Mohanambal, in Vellore district. Mohanambal and her sister Nirmala surrendered before a court in Vellore in June 2014. The police alleged that the dancer with the help of son Saravanan was involved in smuggling red sanders. She owns several properties including 30 houses. The Vellore district police had already registered a case. Meanwhile, ED had registered a case against her under Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Her counsel Anand Venkatesh submitted that ED had registered the case on the basis of the FIR filed by the state police. Normally in such cases only after filing of the charge sheet by police does ED register a case against her.
"The case is only in the stage of FIR and it has not reached the stage of filing charge sheet. If the case registered by the police is not proved then what will happen to the case registered by ED. Hence he sought to quash the case registered by ED.
Pari Vallal, counsel for ED argued that an investigation by ED is essential on how huge amounts of money and gold jewelry was available with the folk dancer.
On hearing the arguments, the judge stayed the case registered by ED against Mohanambal and others and directed the ED authorities to file their counter and adjourned the matter for further hearing to July 28, 2017.
