Ishari K Ganesh Withdraws Madras High Court Plea to Quash ED Money Laundering Case

The Madras High Court on Monday, July 13, 2026, dismissed as withdrawn a writ petition filed by educationist, film producer, and actor Ishari K. Ganesh. The petition, originally filed in 2025, sought to quash an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) registered against him by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in 2023 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan permitted Ganesh to withdraw his plea. The court granted him the liberty to approach the bench again if a future occasion arises.

The withdrawal occurred after ED Special Public Prosecutor P. Sidharthan reported to the court that the predicate offence against Ganesh remains active. Ganesh’s counsel explained that although the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) filed a closure report before the trial court in 2024, the trial court has yet to formally accept it. Consequently, the defense chose to withdraw the writ petition until the predicate offence is officially closed.

The legal issue traces back to a suo motu First Information Report (FIR) registered by the DVAC on September 12, 2022. The FIR named former AIADMK Minister C. Vijayabaskar, Ganesh, Vels Medical College and Hospital Dean K. Srinivasaraja, and four government doctors: R. Balajinathan, T.M. Manohar, J. Sujatha, and J.A. Vasanthakumar.

According to the DVAC, Ganesh, representing the Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), allegedly bribed then-Health Minister Vijayabaskar in 2020. The alleged bribe was intended to secure an "essentiality certificate" for the newly-constructed Vels Medical College in Tiruvallur district, allowing it to admit 150 MBBS students.

The four government doctors from the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem were implicated for allegedly providing a false inspection report. The DVAC contended that the medical college did not meet the minimum requirement of being in existence for two years with a fully functional 300-bed capacity.

Although the DVAC completed its investigation in 2024 and decided to close the case against Vijayabaskar, Ganesh, and Srinivasaraja due to a lack of incriminating evidence, the trial court's pending approval of this closure keeps the predicate offence alive.