Attack on ED officials in Kerala: bail plea of five accused rejected

The Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-III on Saturday rejected the bail plea of five Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers accused of attacking Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and damaging vehicles during a raid at former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence in the city.

Magistrate Tania Mariam Jose dismissed the bail petition filed by the accused, who were the first five arrested in connection with the case.

The accused—Sreejith, Jithinraj, Manoj, Jeevan, and Shahin—were remanded in custody after their bail plea was rejected. The defence’s main contention was that the ED officials were not on duty when the incident occurred. The defence also argued that the vehicle that was attacked was not an official ED vehicle and, therefore, the charge of damaging public property would not stand.

However, the prosecution strongly opposed the arguments. It contended that the ED officials had come to conduct a raid and remained on duty until they returned to their office after completing the operation. Therefore, the charge of obstructing public servants in the discharge of their duties was applicable. The prosecution further argued that even if the vehicle had been hired on rent, it should still be treated as an official vehicle for the purpose of the investigation. Accepting the prosecution’s arguments, the court rejected the bail plea of the accused.

ED officials were allegedly attacked by CPI(M) activists while returning after completing a raid at the residence of Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter Veena Vijayan at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram. The raid was conducted in connection with money-laundering allegations involving Ms. Veena’s now-defunct firm, Exalogic Solutions, which allegedly received monthly payments from a private mining company, Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited, between 2017 and 2021 without providing any tangible services.

Meanwhile, six more accused were arrested in connection with the assault on ED officials, taking the total number of arrests to 25 so far. Former Attukal councillor Unnikrishnan was among those arrested. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has instructed the Director General of Police (DGP) to file the chargesheet before the court, before the accused are granted bail. The police have registered a case against around 300 people who are suspected to have been involved in the attack.