Kerala HC tells vigilance to complete bribery probe against ED official within 90 days

Kochi: High court has directed the vigilance investigation team to complete, within 90 days, the probe into the alleged bribery case involving an Enforcement Directorate (ED) official, based on a complaint filed by Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew trader who is currently facing a PMLA case.

A bench of Justice A Badharudeen issued the order in a petition filed by Babu seeking a CBI investigation into the allegations. The petitioner, who is an accused in a PMLA case involving allegations of cheating local cashew traders by collecting advance payments for imported cashew nuts and failing to deliver the goods, had earlier lodged a complaint with the vigilance department. He alleged that two middlemen had contacted him on behalf of Sekhar Kumar, assistant director of the ED, and demanded Rs 2 crore to halt the ED probe against him. Based on this complaint, the vigilance department registered a case against Sekhar Kumar and others.

Later, Babu approached the court alleging that the vigilance team had not conducted a proper investigation into his complaint and sought a CBI probe. He further contended that the accused were highly influential and that a CBI investigation was necessary to ensure a fair probe. During the pendency of the petition, Babu was arrested by the ED on Jan 14 in connection with the PMLA case.

However, after perusing the progress report submitted by the vigilance investigation team, the court observed that a crime had already been registered and that an investigation was underway. It further opined that it was too premature to order a CBI investigation at this stage. Accordingly, the court directed the vigilance department to expedite the probe and complete it within 90 days.