Setback to Kerala govt, HC quashes FIR against ED

In a major setback to the CPM led LDF government in Kerala, the Kerala high court, on Friday, quashed the cases filed by the crime branch against the officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the allegations levelled by the prime accused in a gold smuggling case.

The HC annulled the FIRs filed by the crime branch pertaining to the claims made by key accused Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair that the ED officials had forced them to give statements against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Both the accused had earlier alleged that the ED officials had applied pressure on them to name top CPM leaders, including the chief minister, in the gold smuggling and money laundering cases.

The HC directed the crime branch to hand over the details of the probe carried out so far in a sealed envelope. It directed that any further action would be taken by the trial court in the case only after the examination of the documents.

Earlier, the ED had submitted an affidavit in the high court stating that the crime branch had registered a case against the investigating officials with the ulterior motive of sabotaging the probe. This was done because they feared that the involvement of important people would come out in the public domain.

The affidavit had sought the scrapping of the case registered by the crime branch against the ED. It pointed out that the FIR interfered with the discharge official duties of the ED as part of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

◗ THE HC annulled the FIRs filed by the crime branch pertaining to the claims made by key accused Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair that the ED officials had forced them to give statements against chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan

◗ BOTH ACCUSED had earlier alleged that the ED officials had applied pressure on them to name top CPM leaders, including the chief minister, in the gold smuggling and money laundering cases.