SC says ED crossing all limits, stays probe against TASMAC in row over liquor shop licences
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate is crossing "all the limits" and violating the federal concept of governance, the Supreme Court on Thursday said while staying the money laundering probe against Tamil Nadu-run liquor retailer TASMAC over alleged corruption in grant of wine shop licences.
Issuing notice to the ED on pleas filed by the Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), a bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih told Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the anti-money laundering probe agency, that “Your ED is crossing all the limits.”
“The Enforcement Directorate is violating the federal concept (of governance),” the bench observed, adding that the ED’s probe against the state-run TASMAC will not proceed in the meantime.
The law officer opposed the order, saying the issue involved corruption over Rs 1,000 crore and the ED is not crossing the limits “at least in this case.”
The bench took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Amit nand Tiwari that the state itself has lodged over 40 FIRs in cases related to allotment of liquor shop licences from 2014 and now the ED jumps in the picture and raids the TASMAC.
“How can you raid the state-run TASMAC,” the bench asked.
The DMK-run state government and TASMAC moved the top court against the raids conducted by the ED at the premises of TASMAC.
The pleas challenged an April 23 order of the Madras High Court dismissing its pleas giving the go ahead for the ED action.
The ED was allowed to proceed with its action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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Fire erupts at private hospital in Mumbai; none hurt
Mumbai (PTI): A fire broke out at a private hospital in Mumbai's Grant Road area on Monday afternoon, prompting temporary evacuation of around 250 people, including patients, doctors and other staffers, officials said.
"No one was injured in the incident," a civic official said, adding the cause of the fire was not yet known.
The fire started in the CT-MRI scan unit of Bhatia Hospital at 1.35 pm, the official said.
As per the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), the blaze was confined to electrical wiring and installations in the CT-MRI unit of the private medical facility.
As a precautionary measure, around 250 people, including patients, doctors and other staffers, were temporarily evacuated from the hospital premises, he added.
The blaze was extinguished by 3 pm, the official stated.
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An MFB officer said at least eight fire engines, other vehicles and equipment were rushed to the spot to put out the blaze.
He told PTI that the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where newborn babies are kept in case they face breathing or any other health problems, was located exactly above the fire-affected CT-MRI unit.
The officer further said though the situation was tense, the hospital administration and MFB acted swiftly and ensured safety of babies, other patients as well as staff of the medical facility.
As per the officer, MFB personnel carefully used forced ventilation system fitted in their fire fighting vehicles to blow out the smoke from the CT-MRI unit to ensure babies being treated in the ward remain safe.
As a precautionary measure, the personnel did 'stage shifting ' or temporary transfer of babies from one ward to another to protect them from smoke or fire, he explained.
"If the smoke had increased, the children would have been affected. So, we simultaneously shifted them to another ward instead of acting at the last moment. We did their stage evacuation for safety reasons," the officer maintained.
Within 10-15 minutes of the outbreak, the MFB personnel controlled the fire and avoided further evacuation, he stated.
According to the officer, MFB suspects the fire was of "electric origin", but the exact cause was under investigation.
Notably, electric origin fires are caused on account of short circuit, overheating, overloading, use of non-standard appliances, illegal tapping of wires and improper wiring, among others.
