Kerala gold smuggling: HC adjourns CM's ex-aide Sivasankar's bail plea hearing to Dec 18

Justice Ashok Menon of the Kerala High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of suspended bureaucrat M Sivasankar's bail plea in the gold smuggling case registered by the ED till December 18. Appearing for Sivasankar, Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta denied ED's charge that his client had contacted Customs officials to clear the baggage containing smuggled gold at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Moreover, he stressed that co-accused Swapna Suresh's statement about the involvement of the Kerala CM's ex-aide in gold smuggling is not credible as it was made after her arrest. Gupta also told the court that an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, was not made out as Sivasankar had not received any kickbacks.

Rubbishing the allegation that his client influenced the Life Mission contract, he made it clear that the ex-Principal Secretary to the Kerala CM could not have been involved unless the entire government was under his control. Thereafter, he read excerpts from the SC's judgment on P Chidambaram's bail plea dated December 4, 2019, to bolster the case for granting bail to Sivasankar. Additionally, the Senior Advocate said that there was nothing suspicious in the WhatsApp conversation between his client and Chartered Accountant Venugopal. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju is likely to make his submissions on behalf of the agency during the next hearing. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Scam Accused Swapna Fears For Life In Jail, Makes Sensational Claim

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: Swapna Suresh A Family Friend Of M Sivasankar, Counsel Tells HC

Sivasankar's remand extended

On July 16, Vijayan announced that the suspension of his former Principal Secretary M Sivasankar pending the departmental inquiry. It was reportedly found that he had violated the All-India Services Conduct rules due to his connections with the gold smuggling accused. After the Kerala High Court rejected the suspended bureaucrat's anticipatory bail plea on October 28, he was arrested by the ED.

While the agency got his remand on three occasions, Sivasankar was finally sent to judicial custody on November 12. Subsequently, the Customs department arrested him in connection with the gold smuggling case on November 24. After his initial 5-day custody ended, the agency sought an extension of his remand. On December 1, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) court granted the Customs department seven more days of his custody. His remand period was further extended by the court earlier in the day. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: NIA Conducts Raids At Five Places; Documents, Electronics Seized