Attack on ED officials: Kerala HC junks plea for CBI probe | Kochi News
Kochi: High court on Friday declined to order a CBI probe into the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers by CPM workers following a raid conducted at the residence of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the CMRL case.A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar disposed of a PIL filed by Jojo Jose, a lawyer from Sreekandapuram in Kannur, observing that a perusal of the report filed by the city police commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, showed substantial progress in the investigation. HC further remarked that there was no reason to order a CBI probe into the case at this stage in view of the progress made in the investigation.The police report stated that 25 accused persons had so far been arrested in connection with the case and remanded to judicial custody. It added that notices had been issued to several media organisations to obtain video footage of the incident. Statements from 44 witnesses had already been recorded, and additional suspects were being identified from the available video evidence. The report further denied the allegation that there had been any prior intelligence warning about the alleged attack or any intelligence failure.According to the petitioner, ED officials and their vehicles were attacked on the premises of former CM’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram on May 27 by a mob of around 300 identifiable persons, most of whom were allegedly CPM cadres. Jose further alleged that police failed to provide adequate protection to ED officials and, instead of arresting the accused, senior police officers negotiated with prominent CPM leaders who had formed a human shield around those who had taken refuge inside a party office.
