Kerala gold smuggling case: Panel formed to review bureaucrat M Sivasankar's suspension

On Friday, the Kerala government constituted a high-level committee to review the suspension of M Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to CM Pinarayi Vijayan. While the panel will be headed by Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta, its other members include Additional Chief Secretaries Satyajeet Rajan and TK Jose. The Review Committee has been constituted as per Rule 3(8)(c) of All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. 

Sivasankar's suspension was announced by Vijayan on July 16 based on the recommendations by a state government-appointed two-member committee probing his role in the gold smuggling scandal. It was reportedly found that he had violated the All-India Services Conduct rules due to his connections with the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling accused. The suspended bureaucrat allegedly played a key role in the appointment of Swapna Suresh as operations manager in the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited. 

Read: ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs 1.84 Cr In Kerala Gold Smuggling Case

What is the gold smuggling case? 

On July 5, Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate. Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh. The case took a political turn after photos with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan surfaced. Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. 

Apart from the Customs and the ED, the NIA has also registered an FIR in the gold smuggling case. Various sections of the UAPA were slapped against Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair, and others. The NIA has alleged that the smuggled gold was not used for jewellery purposes but for funding terror activities.

Read: ED Quizzes Kerala CPM Neta's Son Bineesh Kodiyeri For Alleged Links To Gold Smuggling Case

Sivasankar's role under the scanner

The neighbours of Swapna Suresh have reportedly seen Sivasankar visiting her house quite often. This house has allegedly been used for planning of the smuggling operations. The Customs raided his residence and obtained CCTV footage from various places where he met Suresh and other accused in the past few months. The ex-Principal Secretary to the CM was questioned about the appointment of Suresh, her dubious education certificates and her role in the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.

Sources added that the other accused Sarith Kumar and Sandeep Nair got in touch with the senior IAS officer through Suresh. Moreover, Republic TV learnt that Arun Balachandran, who help the gold smuggling accused to obtain a flat opposite the state secretariat, was removed from his post in the state government on the instruction of Sivasankar. However, a WhatsApp chat accessed by the authorities indicates that Sivasankar had himself asked Balachandran to arrange for the flat.

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: Swapna Suresh Complains Of Chest Pain, Shifted To ICU