The issue of the Enforcement Directorate raiding Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) premises has raised serious constitutional and legal concerns, especially regarding the arbitrary use of central investigative powers against a state-owned enterprise. The SC has rightly criticised ED’s arbitrary action which must be considered as a warning. The ED’s raid on TASMAC is seen as a broader concern about the centralization of investigative power and the potential misuse of agencies to exert political pressure on opposition-led states. Filing of cases by ED against politicians has increased under the BJP-led government. The ED and the CBI have turned out to be weapons for harassment of Opposition politicians. But politicians who faced ED action got relief after they joined the BJP. The conviction rate in ED cases is abysmally low as 5,906 cases that were registered till January 2023, only 25 ended in convictions. This means the cases were intended to harass and weaken the opposition. The use of state agencies for harassment of citizens is undemocratic and their deployment against governments in non-BJP states is a threat to democratic government.
