Tracking money trail in Kodakara black money case, ED tells HC
Despite the e¢orts of the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) to resume driving tests in the revised format from Friday with police protection, the same were disrupted at many places with driving school owners continuing their protests.
However, tests were conducted at some places, although the number of participants was low compared to the number of slots issued for the day.
Disrupted in capital
In Thiruvananthapuram, driving tests were not held anywhere due to protests by the driving school owners, while ocials could hold tests at places such as Chadyamangalam in Kollam.
Protesters blocked entry to the venue at Muttathra in Thiruvananthapuram by lying on the ground. In Thrissur, protesters dug a grave on the test ground at Athani as a mark of protest.
In Ernakulam, applicants did not turn up at most of the venues.
At Thamarassery in Kozhikode, protesters made porridge at the test venue. Meanwhile, MVD ocials said they would continue to issue slots for applicants as usual and hold the tests for those who turned up.
Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar had directed the MVD ocials to hold tests at available test grounds, including those of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, schools, and private properties, as part of restarting the tests from Friday.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday informed a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court that the investigation in the Kodakara black money case in which State BJP leaders are allegedly involved is in progress and that e¢orts are being made to ascertain the proceeds of the crime as well as the money trail in the case.
PIL moved by AAP
The ED made the submissions when a public interest litigation (PIL) led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Kerala unit seeking to call for a report on the action taken on its representations for fast-tracking the probe by the ED and the Income Tax department in the case came up for hearing. The court reserved its verdict on the petition.
The ED, in a statement led in response to the petition, added that a meticulous investigation was required in such cases to nd out the money trail, the proceeds of crime (PoC) and persons involved and perpetrators of o¢ence of money laundering.
The case involved the offence of money laundering arising out of scheduled offence of dacoity. In fact, several persons have been questioned and their statements recorded, it said.
‘No locus standi’
The ED said the petition was a “clear abuse of the process of law”.
The PIL was neither maintainable in law nor tenable on facts as the petitioner was in no way connected with the alleged crime. Besides, a third party such as the petitioner had no locus standi to move such a PIL with respect to an investigation being conducted by competent authorities, it said.
Kodakara case
The Kodakara money heist pertains to a highway robbery, allegedly of ₹3.5 crore, in Kodakara town, near Chalakudy, in Thrissur on April 3, three days before the Assembly elections in 2021.