Chidambaram's relative moves HC against ED searches

A relative of former Union minister P Chidambaram has moved the Madras High Court, seeking to declare as illegal the recent search and seizure conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at his premises here, in connection with the agency's money laundering probe in the Aircel-Maxis case.
When the petition by Dr Sadayavel Kailasam, the brother- in-law of Chidambaram, came up for hearing today, Justice K Ravichandrabaabu posted it to December 13 for deciding on its maintainability.
The petitioner submitted that the ED had, on December 1, conducted searches at his house and clinic and at the residential premises of his deceased father P S Kailasam, a former chief justice of the Madras High Court and a former Supreme Court judge, and mother Soundara Kailasam, a well- known poet.

Stating that he was a law abiding citizen and that he had been regularly filing the Income Tax returns, he claimed that the ED officials did not find anything related to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and seized some "irrelevant" items, including computer hard disks and loose sheets containing his net worth statement.
The petitioner contended that the search was totally unjustified and unwarranted and that it was conducted without having any reason to believe that he had contravened any provision of the FEMA.
It was only in the nature of a fishing and roving enquiry, conducted with the sole view to damage his reputation, the petitioner alleged, while seeking that the search and seizure be declared illegal.