Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Kerala Vigilance Court Rejects Clean Chit for Senior Police Officer

Having ruled the VACB’s inquiry biased, the court will record testimony under its statutory authority.

Image
The court underlined that the allegations against Kumar are “beyond suspicion” and that they demonstrate a probability of a crime having been committed. (File photo)
Image
Photo: IANS

Overview

  • Judge A. Manoj of the Vigilance Special Court in Thiruvananthapuram on August 14 invalidated the VACB’s preliminary report exonerating ADGP M. R. Ajith Kumar, finding the inquiry manipulated and biased.
  • The court held that the Chief Minister and other political executives have no legal standing to influence or approve anti-corruption inquiries.
  • Invoking section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the court ordered that the complainant’s statement be recorded first, followed by witness testimonies, as part of its own fact-finding process.
  • Opposition leaders, including UDF’s V. D. Satheesan and KPCC president Sunny Joseph, demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan relinquish the Home portfolio and called for an independent investigation.
  • Ajith Kumar denied all wrongdoing, attributed the case to political vendetta, and submitted bank statements, income declarations and land records in his defense.