Can't object to seizure on privacy grounds: ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asserted that the seizure of mobile phones and extraction of data for investigative purposes cannot be objected to on the grounds of privacy, arguing that such actions are justified within the framework of law enforcement.

- Ayesha Arvind

BENGALURU:

In submissions before the Madras high court, ED emphasised that privacy rights cannot be absolute when they come into conflict with the state's legitimate interest in investigating crimes, particularly under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

ED's stance came in response to petitions challenging its recent search and seizure operations in Tamil Nadu, where it confiscated mobile phones of certain individuals in connection with its probe into an alleged multi-crore liquor scam involving Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC).

To be sure, the raids at the state-owned TASMAC headquarters last month quickly snow-balled into a political controversy, with the MK Stalin-led DMK government denouncing them as yet another instance of the BJP-led central government weaponising investigative agencies to target non-NDA states.

In its affidavit, the agency contended that these actions were lawful and necessary for evidence collection, dismissing claims that such seizures infringed upon fundamental rights.