Week after Madras HC vacates interim stay, Chennai court files fresh case against TTV Dhinakaran

A week after the Madras High Court vacated an interim stay on proceedings against AIADMK (Amma) Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran for alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Regulations Act (FERA), a court in Chennai framed fresh charges against him.

On July 24, the High Court had set aside the charges framed against Dhinakaran by the economic offences court here on April 19. The High Court had then directed the trial court to re-do the process after granting adequate time to the accused to submit his objections and complete the trial within three months.

When the case came up for hearing today before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Economic Offences), S Malarmathy, she framed the charges afresh and provided opportunity to the accused to make his submissions.

Dhinakaran denied the charges and requested the court to permit him to cross examine the prosecution witnesses.

After recording the submissions, the judge posted the case to August 3 for further hearing.

The case of the prosecution is that Dhinakaran acquired $10.4 million without obtaining prior permission of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and deposited it in the current account of Dipper Investments Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, and having account with Barclays Bank, Sutton, United Kingdom.

Charging him with violating FERA, the ED imposed a penalty of Rs 28 crore.

In a reprieve to Dhinakaran last month, Madras High Court Judge M S Ramesh had set aside the forex law violation charge framed against him by the trial court.

The High Court had set it aside based on Dhinakaran's plea that the trial court on April 19 last had framed charges against him in the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act case without giving him any opportunity to defend himself