Court denies bail to CPI(M) workers accused of assaulting ED officials

The Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court on Tuesday denied bail to 10 Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] workers, including former Thiruvananthapuram Corporation councillor I.P. Binu, who are accused of assaulting Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid conducted on the residence of the Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan in the city two months ago.

The accused persons had approached the court seeking bail, with the defence arguing that the investigation had progressed sufficiently. They also contended that the collection of evidence and the interrogation process have been completed. Therefore, there was no justification for their continued judicial custody. The defence also maintained that further custodial interrogation was unnecessary.

However, the prosecution strongly opposed the bail applications by asserting that the alleged attack on ED officials constituted a grave offence. The prosecutors argued that the accused had obstructed the central investigating officers from discharging their official duties and had physically assaulted them while undertaking a lawful investigation.

They also informed the court that the mobile phones of some of the accused have been sent for scientific examination to establish the alleged conspiracy behind the attack. Their results are crucial to identifying other persons who may have been involved in the incident.

During the hearing, the court examined the video footage of the alleged incident at the prosecution’s request before arriving at its decision. The court subsequently rejected the bail pleas of the accused persons.

The incident occurred on May 27 during a ED raid conducted as part of the case involving Mr. Vijayan’s daughter Veena T. involving her now-defunct IT firm and its alleged links with Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL).

The State government had earlier removed public prosecutor T. Geena Kumari after the ninth accused, Harish Kumar, had obtained bail. Senior advocate A. Santhosh Kumar was subsequently appointed the Special Public Prosecutor in the case.