The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings of a Chennai court in connection with the 1996 Foreign Exchange Regulation Act case against Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader TTV Dinakaran, PTI reported.

The court also sought Dhinakaran’s reply to the petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate against a Madras High Court ruling, which had told the local court to order the investigating agency to provide the case documents to Dhinakaran.

However, the Enforcement Directorate’s counsel protested the stay. In response, the top court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked: “How can you have the cake and eat it too”, according to The Hindu. “If we allow the trial to proceed without the documents, we will be virtually deciding the course of the trial,” Gogoi added. “We have actually decided in your favour by agreeing to hear your appeal by issuing a notice. And if there is notice, there should be stay of trial.”

Dinakaran is accused of acquiring $10.4 million in foreign exchange without obtaining permission from the Reserve Bank of India. He allegedly deposited this amount in the current account of Dipper Investments Ltd, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The company also had an account with Barclays Bank in the United Kingdom, PTI reported.