ED becomes 'weapon of mass destruction' after SC judgement, says Karti Chidambaram

New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for conducting raids at the National Herald house and other offices of the institution.

The Congress leader said the ED was weaponised earlier, now after the Supreme Court judgement, it has become a "weapon of mass destruction".

"It is ridiculous that they (ED) raid the premises of a publication whose transactions are anyway captured in the books of accounts," he said.

Responding to ED raids at National Herald offices at 12 locations, Chidambaram said, "This is only for sensationalism, and to create discomfort to people in office and organisation. ED will be known as the 'hatchet agency' of this BJP government."

On July 27, the Supreme Court said that Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) cannot be equated with the First Information Report (FIR) and ED officers are not police officers.

The observation came while upholding the validity of various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which empowers the ED for making arrests, conducting searches and seizures, and attaching the proceeds of crime.

However, the top court also said that the question of enactment of amendments to the PMLA Act as a Money Bill has to be decided by a larger bench of seven judges, who are already dealing with this issue.

Earlier, ED had questioned Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

Sonia Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate office in the national capital on July 27 for the third round of questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

Meanwhile, Congress workers protested at AICC headquarters in Delhi against the questioning of the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi by the ED.

As the ED summoned Sonia Gandhi for questioning again, Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said that there should be a timely Supreme Court decision on the "terror of ED" in the country.

Congress General Secretary and MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted that "The raids on Herald House, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg are a part of the continued attack against India's principal opposition-- Indian National Congress. We strongly condemn this vendetta politics against those who speak up against the Modi Govt. You cannot silence us!"

NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan and Delhi Mahila Congress chief Amrita Dhawan were detained along with other Congress workers by Delhi Police who were protesting against the questioning of Sonia Gandhi by the ED. (ANI)