Thiruvananthapuram,August 24
The Special Public Prosecutor has approached the Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-III seeking cancellation of bail granted to two accused in the case involving the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate officials and police personnel.
Special Public Prosecutor A. Santosh Kumar filed the petition on Monday against first accused Nithinraj and 16th accused I.P. Binu, alleging that they violated conditions imposed by the Kerala High Court while granting them bail.
The move followed a controversy over their alleged participation in Onam celebrations outside the Museum police station. Binu and several others, dressed in colours resembling police uniforms, reportedly recorded reels during the celebrations. The videos were later widely circulated on social media, prompting a high-level police inquiry.
The inquiry is examining how accused in a prominent criminal case were permitted to participate in celebrations and record videos on police station premises.
The High Court had imposed nine conditions while granting bail. One condition barred the accused from entering the jurisdiction of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cantonment subdivision, until further orders, except for appearing to mark their attendance as directed.
They were also prohibited from contacting prosecution witnesses, tampering with evidence or attempting to influence anyone connected with the investigation.
Santosh Kumar alleged that recording and circulating the videos amounted to an attempt by the accused to publicly display their influence over police personnel. Such conduct could also create apprehension among witnesses, he argued.
The High Court had directed that applications seeking modification of bail conditions, or cancellation of bail over alleged violations, should be filed before the jurisdictional court.
The case arose from the alleged assault on ED officials and police personnel during a raid at the residence of Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan on May 27. The search was conducted in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving CMRL and Vijayan’s daughter, Veena T.
Police subsequently booked around 300 identifiable persons for allegedly forming an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons. Twenty-four people were arrested in the case.
