KOCHI, India, Aug. 4 (ANI) — The Kerala High Court has granted bail to four more Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), workers accused of attacking Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials following a search operation at the residence of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
On Monday, the court granted bail to nine other accused in the same case.
The incident occurred on May 27, when an ED team was leaving Vijayan’s residence after conducting a search as part of an ongoing investigation into financial transactions involving his daughter Veena Thaikkandiyil’s IT firm, Exalogic Solutions, and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL).
According to the prosecution, a convoy of ED officials was intercepted by about 300 people who allegedly attacked it with stones and sticks, injuring personnel and damaging property.
The bail conditions prohibit the accused from leaving the state without prior court approval, require them to stay outside the jurisdiction of the local police station, and direct them to furnish solvent sureties.
While hearing the bail petitions Monday, Justice Kauser Edappagath observed that although the allegations against the accused were serious and could not be justified, continued detention was unnecessary because the investigation was nearly complete and none of the accused had prior criminal records.
Highlighting the delay in the investigation, Justice Edappagath said, “Even after 67 days, the police have not recovered the weapon used for the attack. I understand there is prima facie material; the allegation is very serious and cannot be justified, and the act has to be condemned. But still, they have been in custody for the last 67 days, the investigation is almost over, and nobody has any criminal antecedents.”
The Enforcement Directorate strongly opposed the bail pleas, arguing that the attack was a premeditated conspiracy to intimidate officials and disrupt an ongoing investigation.
“The attack was not a result of sudden provocation; it was a planned act to deter officials from performing their duty,” the agency argued.
The defense contended that the arrests did not follow proper procedures and that Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to attempted murder, was improperly invoked based solely on media footage without sufficient physical evidence.
The petitioners, including Kiran P.S., Jeevan, Anil Kumar, Sreejith, Nishad, Sidharth S., Shefeek, Nandhu G.R., and Rahul A. Rajan, approached the High Court after their bail applications were rejected twice by the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court. (ANI)
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