Read Time: 04 minutes
The accused officer, who was once considered a celebrated and powerful man in Kerala has been embroiled in a number of cases concerning corruption and money laundering. Today, a senior counsel who represented him told court that he needed a surgery which was urgent, on his spinal cord
Former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, M. Sivasankar has been granted interim bail on medical grounds for two months by the Supreme Court today. Court said that the accused officer should not visit any place except the hospital and his residence during the bail, which includes the time period for the surgery and for post-operative care.
Sivasankar, an IAS officer, has been accused in multiple cases, including the LIFE mission housing project corruption case. According to news reports, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case is based on an FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to which the project was funded by a foreign entity in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The division bench of Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice M. M. Sundresh allowed interim bail on medical grounds taking note of the fact that the doctors had recommended surgery for the Chief Minister's close aide. The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta opposed the bail, stating that he could influence the ongoing probe in the case.
"We have had a bad experience with interim bail becoming final or regular. Let him take medical treatment but let it be overseen in judicial custody," said the law officer, while adding that the accused is influential.
The Special Leave Petition seeking interim bail was filed in Supreme Court after the accused withdrew his petition for the same from Kerala High Court last week.
Sivasankar has been accused of various cases including gold smuggling case and dollar smuggling case. According to news reports, he was even backed by the Communist party-led Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a press conference.
In February 2023, he was arrested for the third time by the Enforcement Directorate in the LIFE mission housing scam, which was an offshoot of the gold smuggling case in Kerala. Case Title: M Sivasankar Vs Union of India
Please Login or Register
