The Special Public Prosecutor in the case related to the alleged assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during the raid on the Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence on Friday accused former Public Prosecutor T. Geena Kumari of misleading the court.
Special Public Prosecutor A. Santhosh Kumar, who was appointed after Ms. Kumari’s removal, argued before the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court that the former prosecutor incorrectly stated that the investigation was complete, despite the probe still being in progress. The alleged misrepresentation resulted in the grant of bail to the ninth accused, Harish Kumar, he submitted.
The submissions were made during the hearing on the bail applications of 10 of those accused in the case. He maintained that the offences committed by the accused were serious and claimed there was a larger conspiracy behind the incident. The prosecution, which also sought the cancellation of the bail granted to Mr. Kumar, said that the investigation was still in progress, including the examination of the accused persons’ phone records.
It was further submitted that such politically motivated attacks, which undermine the authority of central investigative agencies, should not be treated lightly. Besides, granting bail to the accused could send the wrong message in such cases.
Rejecting the defence’s contention that the remaining accused should also be granted bail since the ninth accused had already secured relief, the prosecutor said each bail application must be considered on its own merits. He also urged the court to examine the video footage of the alleged attack before deciding on the bail pleas.
The court has reserved its order and posted the matter for July 6, when it is expected to pronounce its decision on the bail applications of the accused persons.
