Kerala police register case against ED for coercion, conspiracy

Kerala police register case against ED for coercion, conspiracy

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:  20.03.2021 

The crime branch of Kerala police has registered a case against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers who are probing the gold smuggling case, on the basis of the statements of two female civil police officers.

In the FIR submitted on Friday to the judicial magistrate court in Kochi, the crime branch has invoked IPC Sections 116, 120-B, 167, 192, 193 and 195-A for conspiracy, intimidation and forcing to give false statements against the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The crime branch had earlier conducted a preliminary inquiry, in which statements of 18 persons, including that of Swapna Suresh, the key accused in the case related to gold smuggling through diplomatic channels, was recorded. TOI has learnt that a special team will be set up to probe the case.

The state had received legal advice from the director general of prosecutions that a case should be registered against the ED sleuths who had interrogated Suresh in jail. The government had sought legal advice based on the report of the investigation team that had probed the leak of Suresh’s voice clip.

Woman civil police officers Siji Vijayan of Palarivattom police station and S Rejimol of Kadavanthra police station, who were allegedly on duty while the ED sleuths interrogated Suresh, had stated before the probe team that the ED officers were compelling Swapna to give a statement against the chief minister.

HC refuses to stay ED summons to Mehbooba in money laundering case

The Delhi high court on Friday refused to stay the latest summons issued to former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti by the enforcement directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and justice Jasmeet Singh said they are not granting any relief to the PDP president, who has been served notice to appear at the ED headquarters in the national capital on March 22.

Representing the ED, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said Mufti just has to appear before the officials. ED had earlier summoned Mufti for March15 but has now sought her presence on March 22. TNN