Saiby Jose Kidangoor tells Kerala High Court case against him a conspiracy hatched by rival lawyers; assures co-operation with probe

Advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor on Tuesday told the Kerala High Court that the allegations against him - that he took money from clients under the pretext of bribing judges - were concocted by some other lawyers who harbour vendetta against him [Saiby Jose Kidangoor v State Police Chief]..Justice Kauser Edappagath recorded the submission in this regard made by Senior Advocate S Sreekumar who is currently representing Kidangoor, the former President of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA). "Learned senior counsel for the petitioner, Sri. S Sreekumar submits that the petitioner is ready to appear before the investigating officer and cooperate with the investigation. The learned senior counsel further submits that the investigating agency may also conduct investigation into the allegations levelled by the petitioner that there is a conspiracy behind filing the complaint against him," the Court said in its order. After it was submitted by Kidangoor that he was ready to co-operate with the investigation, Justice Edappagath orally advised him to follow through so that the truth of the matter can come out."You also co-operate with the investigation. Let the truth come out. It is beneficial to you as well," the judge said. .Kidangoor, has been embroiled in controversy since the allegations made against him by his fellow lawyers started gaining momentum on social media.A lawyer put up a Facebook post in which he said that Kidangoor had been collecting large sums of money from some clients, including some celebrity clients, saying that he would use it to bribe several judges, including Justices A Muhamed Mustaque, PV Kunhikrishnan, Ziyad Rahman AA.Following the same, one of the judges Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, asked the High Court Registrar General to look into the allegations.The Registrar General furnished an initial report that he sent to the Chief Justice who in turn directed the vigilance wing of the High Court to initiate an enquiry.The vigilance wing's probe found prima facie evidence that Kidangoor had taken money from his clients by saying that he would use it to bribe some judges.The vigilance report was sent to the Kerala Police that in turn initiated its own investigation.After conducting a preliminary enquiry, the Ernakulam Central Police Station had registered a first information report (FIR) against Kindangoor on February 1.Kidangoor has been charged under Section 420 (cheating and dishonesty inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code which is a cognisable and non-bailable offence.He has also been charged under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act which deals with the offence of public servants taking gratification other than the legal remuneration in respect of an official act.According to a press release from the State Police, the initial investigation indicated that there is substance to the allegations against Kidangoor, leading to the registration of the FIR.Kidangoor subsequently moved the High Court with the present petition seeking to quash the FIR. .During the previous hearing of the matter, Justice Edappagath had refused to grant him any interim relief. The judge also said that the plea was premature and asked Kidangoor why he was attempting to quash the FIR instead of proving his innocence by letting the law take its course, a sentiment he reiterated today. .At the hearing today, the public prosecutor produced a copy of the report of the preliminary enquiry conducted by the Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam. It was submitted that the investigation is at a preliminary stage.Senior Advocate Sreekumar, appearing for Kidangoor, argued that the report contains no material that implicates Kidangoor. He further contended that the allegations against Kidangoor were raised by a group of lawyers who harboured some resentment against him. The Court recorded this submission and directed Kidangoor to appear before the investigating officer as and when required and co-operate with the investigation.The matter will be taken up again after two weeks. .On January 31, the Bar Council of Kerala had initiated suo motu proceedings against Kidangoor and issued a show cause notice to him.Kidangoor also resigned from his post as President of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association last week. He had been elected to the post only in mid-December, shortly before the allegations against him started surfacing. .[Read our live-coverage of the hearing below]