Setback for Vijayan as court dismisses smuggling probe

The Kerala High Court has dismissed the state government's writ appeal contesting the interim stay on the judicial inquiry commission established to investigate allegations of coercive tactics used by central agencies, specifically the Enforcement Directorate (ED), to wrongly implicate Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the gold smuggling scam.

- Ashraf Padanna

The court upheld the interim order issued by a single judge, which temporarily halted the functioning of the Inquiry Commission tasked with examining claims that the ED and other central agencies were fabricating evidence against political figures in Kerala, including Vijayan and his top aides.

The ED and Customs had earlier arrested Vijayan's principal secretary, M Sivasankar, who is out on bail on health grounds after spending many months in jail. This case arose following the seizure of 30 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately Rs 148.2 million, and reportedly labelled as 'Diplomatic Baggage' at Trivandrum International Airport on July 6, 2020.