Kerala High Court grants bail to four more CPI(M) workers booked for attacking ED officials

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted bail to four CPI(M) workers booked for allegedly attacking Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials who were returning after a search operation conducted at the residence of the former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Justice Kauser Edappagath allowed the bail applications filed by accused Lenin Raj, Amal SP, Vaisakh and Rahul A.

The development comes a day after the Court granted bail to nine other accused persons in the same case.

The matter concerns an incident from May 27. ED officials had conducted a search at former CM and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan's residence, where Vijayan and his daughter, Veena Thaikkandiyil resided.

The search was part of the central agency's investigation into the CMRL case involving allegations against Exalogic, the IT company owned by Thaikkandiyil.

After the search, a crowd of around 300 persons are said to have surrounded the ED officials' convoy and attacked the vehicles with stones, bricks, sticks and iron rods causing damage.

Subsequently, the Museum Police registered a case invoking various provisions of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 109 (attempt to murder), along with Section 3 (1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

14 accused persons who were arrested in the matter have now secured bail. One, Harikrishnan was the first to get bail from a trial court. The State has challenged this trial court order before the High Court and sought the cancellation of Harikrishnan’s bail. This appeal remains pending. 

Yesterday, the Court granted bail to nine other accused, observing that even though the allegations were serious, they had remained in custody for over two months. The Court further noted that the investigation was almost complete and none of the bail applicants had any serious criminal antecedents. Thus, their continued detention was not required, the Court opined while granting them bail.