Kerala CM's ex-aide Sivasankar gets protection from arrest in Customs case till October 23

In a temporary relief for suspended bureaucrat M Sivasankar, the Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Customs department to not arrest him until October 23. Earlier, the ED had been restrained from taking coercive action against him till the same date in the gold smuggling scam. Justice Ashok Menon of the HC stated that both cases will be considered on the same day. During the hearing, Sivasankar's counsel argued that his client had been interrogated by various investigative agencies for over 90 hours.

While he assured that the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala CM was willing to appear before any probe agency, the lawyer alleged that his client was being made a pawn in political games. On the other hand, the Customs department contended that the suspended IAS officer was adopting a belligerent attitude towards interrogation and was evading many questions. As per the agency, he also contradicted the statements made by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. 

Read: 'Directly Linked To CM's Office': BJP Puts Vijayan In Dock Over Kerala Gold Smuggling Scam

Sivasankar shifted to hospital

The suspended bureaucrat was admitted to a private hospital near Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram on the evening of October 16 when he developed uneasiness while being taken to the Customs office. As per a medical bulletin issued on Saturday, his health condition has been reported to be stable. While acknowledging that Sivasankar's blood pressure was "very high" on arrival, the hospital stated that his angiogram was normal. 

While the Nephrology department attributed his back pain to the compressions of spinal roots, the hospital also clarified that a second opinion had been sought in this regard. Later in the day, he was shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Sivasankar's hospitalization came amid speculation that the Customs was planning to arrest him in a case pertaining to alleged smuggling of 1.90 lakh dollars abroad. 

Read: 'Let NIA Continue Probe': Kerala CM On Alleged D-Company Link With Gold Smuggling Case

Alleged involvement in gold smuggling scam

The gold smuggling scam came to the fore when the Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport on July 5 from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate. 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 this scam. It was reportedly found that he had violated the All-India Services Conduct rules due to his connections with the accused. Amongst other charges, it has been alleged that 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: Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: NIA Suspects Link Of Some Accused To Dawood's Crime Syndicate