Latest news with #Ravindran
NDTV
18 hours ago
- NDTV
Madras High Court Stays Probe Agency ED Action Against Producer Vikram Ravindran, Associate
Chennai: In a major setback for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the high-profile TASMAC money laundering probe, the Madras High Court has stayed proceedings against Tamil film producer Vikram Ravindran and his associate, ruling that the ED's search and seizure operation was without authority and jurisdiction. The court also directed the ED to return all properties seized during the raid including electronic devices, with a caveat that the petitioners must not tamper with or alienate the contents of the returned items. Delivering a scathing verdict, the court noted that the ED failed to produce any incriminating material that would justify initiating proceedings against the petitioners. Despite being given two opportunities to submit evidence justifying the search, the agency could not furnish any document that suggested Mr Ravindran and his friend were involved in money laundering linked to the Rs 1,000 crore TASMAC scam. "The material presented in a sealed cover does not contain any semblance of information, which may have led them to believe that the petitioner may be involved in the offence of money laundering," the court said. It said no incriminating documents were in the ED's possession when the search was first authorised. The petitioners said they had no role in TASMAC operations and were not named in any of the 41 first information reports filed by the state's directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption. The ED earlier claimed to possess incriminating documents and alleged the duo's involvement. Alleging a Rs 1,000 crore scam in TASMAC, the government arm that sells liquor, the ED accused distilleries and bottle manufacturing firms of colluding in corrupt practices amounting to over Rs 1,000 crore. In a significant development during the hearing, the ED said it had no authority to seal the petitioners' properties and agreed to de-seal the premises. This comes at a time when the Supreme Court has already stayed the ED probe into the TASMAC case, expressing concern over the agency's aggressive approach. The Supreme Court questioned the very basis of criminal action against a state-run corporation, particularly when FIRs were registered against individuals and not the corporation itself. It had also warned that the ED was "crossing all limits" and "breaching the federal structure". The ruling DMK has repeatedly alleged that central agencies like the ED are being misused by the BJP-led Union government to target Opposition-ruled states and political rivals. The BJP has denied all such charges. Opposition parties have highlighted the ED's alleged coercive role in extracting large political donations under the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
High Court pauses ED action against film producer in Tamil Nadu liquor scam
The Madras High Court, on Friday, halted all proceedings by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against film producer Aakash Baskaran. The court also directed the investigation agency to return all materials seized from ED raided multiple locations linked with Baskaran, and his associate, Vikram Ravindran, on May 16, in connection with the alleged scam in Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac). The ED's search and seizure operations at multiple premises were part of the intensified probe into the Tasmac a film producer at Dawn Pictures, came under the ED's scanner due to his alleged proximity to the ruling DMK party, specifically Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. His name emerged in connection with the alleged siphoning off of funds in the Tasmac scam. The Madras High Court questioned the legal foundation of the ED's actions against Baskaran and Ravindran. The Division Bench comprising Justices MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayan held that the authorisation for the raids appeared to be prima facie beyond the ED's court also noted that the materials relied upon by the agency lacked any incriminating content justifying such coercive measures. The judges underscored that sealing premises in the absence of the occupants — without recording the presence of any material evidence — violated the scope of Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), mere act of sealing cannot be presumed as equivalent to seizure,' the bench observed, as quoted by Live Law, adding that such actions risked misleading implications about the agency's on May 22, the Supreme Court issued a stay on ED's investigation into Tasmac. A senior DMK leader viewed this as a welcome move, stating it provides relief not just for Tamil Nadu but for all non-BJP states. The Supreme Court order came after the Tamil Nadu government moved a petition challenging Madras High Court's Madras High Court's sharp observations on Friday came after Baskaran and Ravindran submitted that the ED had sealed their offices and homes in their absence, and that no seizure was recorded in their presence as mandated by law. In response, the ED claimed it had attempted to contact the petitioners multiple times, but they did not cooperate. However, the court held that this did not justify sealing premises without following due and Ravindran both stated they weren't named as accused in any registered Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR). This was confirmed by the ED's Special Public Prosecutor during the hearing, stated a report in the Indian court, noting this, directed the agency to return all seized materials and unseal the premises forthwith, reinforcing the principle that investigatory powers must remain within constitutional CASE OF ALLEGED TASMAC SCAMadvertisementThe ED's investigation stems from an alleged Rs 1,000 crore scam involving Tasmac. According to ED sources, distilleries under-reported expenses and issued bogus invoices — particularly for bottle manufacturing — in order to syphon unaccounted cash. These funds were allegedly used to pay bribes for securing favourable supply filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) between 2016 and 2021 form the basis of the PMLA ED, on March 6 and 8, conducted extensive raids targeting Tasmac's top officials, including Managing Director S Visakan, as well as private individuals suspected to be beneficiaries of the scheme. Aakash Bhaskaran's name surfaced due to alleged investments of diverted funds into the film industry, prompting the May 16 raids at locations associated with him and Ravindran.
The Star
12-06-2025
- General
- The Star
Tales of success from PJ hostel
(From left) Ravindran, Prof Agamutu and Marimuthu at the book launch at Royal Lake Club. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star A FORMER resident of a hostel called PP Narayanan (PPN) has chronicled the stories of students and staff in a book, The Legacy of PPN Students' Hostel. The hostel, established in 1965 by the National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW), was once a second home to generations of students. It provided a home for students, primarily children of estate workers, who secured admission to Universiti Malaya (UM) or nearby institutions of higher education in Kuala Lumpur. The author Ravindran Raghavan, who is a business consultant, said he was inspired by the stories of fellow former hostel residents he met during a PPN reunion. 'It was truly amazing to witness the heights that these people had climbed to from where they were,' Ravindran said during the book launch held at Royal Lake Club in Kuala Lumpur. 'I instantly knew then that I had to somehow capture all of this success,' he added. Educationist and former UM lecturer Tan Sri Dr T. Marimuthu also echoed Ravindran's sentiment. 'The hostel was a sanctuary for people from various backgrounds, but it was also a refuge for students who didn't know where to go. 'It was a welcoming community,' said the former deputy agriculture minister who also served as the hostel's management committee vice-chairman in 1972. After 30 years of serving the community, the hostel which was located in Jalan Barat in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, officially closed its doors in 1996 due to lack of funds. Prof Datuk Dr P. Agamutu, who was also a former resident at the hostel, said the building had since been demolished and a condominium now stands in its place. Despite this, he said the former residents shared a strong bond. 'You can remove us from PPN, but you can't remove PPN from us,' added the academic from Sunway University's Jeffrey Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Grocery startup KiranaPro CEO gives an update on how company's servers were deleted: It was not hacking but ...
KiranaPro, a grocery delivering startup was recently hit by a sever cyberattack in which led to the complete deletion of its servers. Now, the company CEO Deepak Ravindran has confirmed that recent data wipeout was not the result of any external cyberattack, but rather an internal breach caused by a former employee. Ravindran posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) about the indecent. In post, he wrote that the company initially suspected hacking but later discovered that a trusted internal employee was responsible for deleting critical server logs. Despite the setback, KiranaPro assured that customer data remains intact, and the company is working to restore its services. The startup has also strengthened security measures, including revamping access controls and improving audit logging, to prevent similar incidents in the future. KiranaPro's complete data deleted: Here's what happened KiranaPro lost access to its backend servers and app source code, leading to disruptions in its operations. Initially, the company feared a targeted cyberattack, but an internal investigation revealed that the data deletion was intentional and carried out by an ex-employee with legitimate system access. The startup, which operates on the Indian government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), had been serving 55,000 customers across 50 cities, facilitating 2,000 orders daily. KiranaPro CEO Deepak Ravindran on how company's servers were deleted Ravindran explained that the individual behind the breach had worked with him previously and was part of the company's product team. The employee's role was terminated due to internal restructuring, and shortly after, the server logs were wiped. "This was not a hack. No external party exploited vulnerabilities or bypassed security protocols. Instead, it was an internal data breach by someone who had legitimate access to our systems," Ravindran stated Read KiranaPro CEO Deepak Ravindran complete post here Clarifying the Recent Incident at @kirana_pro In light of recent events affecting our infrastructure, I want to take a moment to provide clarity and transparency regarding what occurred, the last few days have been hectic and stressful and firstly I would thank you for your support during such trying times. Here is a snapshot of what happened and what did not. After careful investigation, we conclude that this was not a hack. No external party penetrated our ordering or payment systems, exploited vulnerabilities, or bypassed security protocols. Our external security posture remains intact, and there is no evidence of any unauthorized access from outside the organization. All customer data stays intact. Instead, this was an internal data breach. Specifically, it was the result of actions taken by a trusted internal employee who had legitimate access to our systems. This individual intentionally deleted critical server logs while they were being tested and/or edited, an action that goes directly against our policies, our principles, and the trust we place in our team. Why the Distinction Matters Understanding the nature of this incident is important: A hack implies that a system was compromised from the outside. Typically due to security flaws or insufficient safeguards, which could place customers and stakeholders at broader risk. An internal breach, however, involves someone with authorized access misusing their privileges. This represents a very different type of threat: one rooted in internal trust and the perpetrators need for vengeance, rather than technical system vulnerability. What We're Doing We are taking this breach extremely seriously and have already taken the following steps: •Internal teams are working hard to bring the KiranaPro app back up live. •Initiated a full forensic review to determine the complete scope and impact of the data deletion. •Strengthened access controls and improved audit logging to prevent similar incidents in the future. •Reinforced internal policies and implemented additional training around data governance and privileged access, restructed MFA for all parties working on the server and implemented a One-to-One Entry Log to the databases as we rebuild what we lost during this attack. •Pursuing appropriate disciplinary and legal action against the individual responsible, in line with the severity of the breach. I fully understand the concern this incident may cause. As the founder, I want to reiterate our commitment to protecting our systems and data not only from external threats but from internal misuse as well. An attack of this kind is not an attack on outcomes, It is an attack on trust and the covenant we share with our employees, The next few months will see us come back, with learnings from this experience with stronger controls and systems in place. Looking forward to your continued support. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
New Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Vios Challenge joins Super GT weekend lineup at Sepang
KUALA LUMPUR: Vios Challenge, the popular one-make series, is set to make its international event debut as a support race for the Malaysian round of the Autobacs Super GT at Sepang Circuit on June 26-28. The Vios Challenge will feature a special one-hour race format for the event instead of its usual 30-minute format. The race will feature three categories - Super Sporting, for professional drivers, Sporting (amateur) and Rookie Class (young development drivers). The Vios Challenge is currently in its eighth season and is one of the most accessible grassroots racing platforms in Malaysia. UMW Toyota Motor president Datuk Ravindran Kurusamy said the series has played an important role in driving talent development in Malaysia. "The Vios Challenge has served as a proven springboard for local talent, and to now have our drivers compete on the same stage as international teams at Super GT marks a defining milestone," said Ravindran in a statement released today (June 9). "Looking ahead, Toyota intends to broaden our motorsports footprint by establishing a clearer progression path for our Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Rookies, enabling their natural graduation into higher-level racing categories. "Plans are underway to form Toyota Gazoo Racing Malaysia (TGRMY), a factory racing team to participate in regional motorsport series to strengthen Malaysia's presence in the sport." The Vios Challenge is one of two support races for the Super GT weekend at Sepang, the other being the GR86 Cup Malaysia Series. UMW Toyota Malaysia and TGR Malaysia are the title sponsor for the Malaysian round of Super GT which is making its return to Malaysian soil this year after a 12-year hiatus.
