The tussle between the state and the Central agencies have tightened after the Enforcement Directorate has submitted a related charge sheet against M Sivasankar — former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This was filed before Sivasankar completed 60 days after being arrested, and it eliminates his chance to get regular bail. This is the ED’s second charge sheet against Sivasankar, spanning over 1,000 pages in three volumes.
The ED, in their latest charge sheet, alleges that Sivasankar is the mastermind behind the notorious gold smuggling and that his team working out of the Chief Minister’s office helped him in the crime. Moreover, the Directorate claims that Sivasankar has received Rs 1.86 Crore — recovered from the bank accounts of Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair — as a bribe for the Life Mission project. The ED is also trying to seize Sivasankar’s assets in relation to the money laundering case registered against him.
Moreover, the state jail department and the Customs department have engaged in their legal battle regarding entry to visitors for those charged under COFEPOSA.
Jail DGP Rishiraj Singh has released a circular stating that they don’t need the permission and presence of Customs officials while allowing visitors. Following this, the jail officials sent back the Customs agent that had arrived with Swapna Suresh’s relatives. The authorities explain that the COFEPOSA associated law passed by the state government in 1975 does not mention the need for the presence or permission of Customs agents.
The Customs has alleged that this decision is to botch the investigation and they have decided to approach the Kerala High Court in this matter. Kerala police replied that they are following their jail guidelines and if there are other conditions mentioned in the Customs Act then let them submit that.
