Latest news with #SekharKumar
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
Bribery case: Kerala HC extends order restraining ED officer's arrest
Kochi: High court has reserved its order on the anticipatory bail petition filed by Sekhar Kumar, an assistant director of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi, in connection with an alleged bribery case. The bench of Justice A Badharudeen on Thursday extended the interim order restraining Kumar's arrest until the pronouncement of the final order. The case arises from a complaint filed by Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew trader, who alleged that ED officials demanded a bribe to halt an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The PMLA proceedings were initiated following a police case registered against Aneesh for allegedly cheating local traders by accepting advance payments for imported cashew nuts and failing to deliver the goods. In his complaint, Aneesh alleged that two middlemen, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, approached him on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to stop the ED probe. The vigilance department arrested both middlemen, who, during interrogation, allegedly named Sekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused in the case. Kumar, in his plea, has denied any involvement and contended that there is no material linking him to the arrested individuals. He further claimed that he has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and that the case is driven by vexatious intent.
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- The Hindu
Kerala HC extends interim order restraining arrest of ED officer
The Kerala High Court on Thursday extended an interim order issued by it restraining the arrest of Sekhar Kumar, an Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in connection with a case relating to the alleged demand of ₹2 crore as bribe from a Kollam-based cashew businessman to extricate him from a money-laundering case, until the pronouncement of the final order. Mr. Kumar had filed an anticipatory bail petition before the court, claiming his innocence and alleging that he was falsely implicated in the case with ulterior motives. He contended that the businessman somehow wanted to wriggle out of the probe that had been initiated against him by the ED for allegedly siphoning off ₹24 lakh and that the Vigilance case against him was part of a bid by the businessman to escape legal action.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Time of India
Bribery case: Won't arrest ED assistant director for now, state govt tells Kerala high court
Kochi: The state govt has submitted before HC that assistant director Sekhar Kumar of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi, would not be arrested in the alleged bribery case till June 11. The submission was made by the additional director general of prosecution (ADGP) during the hearing of Kumar's pre-arrest bail plea, which was adjourned by the bench of Justice P G Ajith Kumar to that date after the prosecution sought more time to obtain instructions from the state. The court also recorded the assurance given by the ADGP. The case, registered by the vigilance department, alleges that Kumar demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew businessman, through two middlemen, in exchange for halting an ED investigation against him. Earlier, a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had been registered against Babu, based on an FIR alleging that he collected advance payments from local traders by promising to supply imported cashew nuts at prices below international rates, but failed to deliver. Subsequently, two individuals, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, allegedly approached Babu on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to stop the investigation. Acting on Babu's complaint, vigilance officials arrested both middlemen. During interrogation, they named Sekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused. Sekhar Kumar, however, contends that there is no evidence linking him to the arrested individuals. He maintains that he has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and vexatious intent.
The Hindu
02-06-2025
- The Hindu
Kerala HC orders Vigilance not to arrest ED officer till June 11
The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) not to arrest till June 11 Sekhar Kumar, Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kochi, in connection with a case relating to the alleged demand of ₹2 crore as bribe from a Kollam-based cashew businessman to save him from a money laundering case. The court passed the interim order when an anticipatory bail petition filed by the ED officers came up for hearing. Director General of Prosecution T.A. Shaji submitted that the petitioner would not be arrested till June 6. The submission was recorded by the court. 'Ulterior motive' According to the petitioner, he is innocent and has been falsely implicated in the case with ulterior motives. The attempt of the businessman is to somehow wriggle out of the prosecution initiated against him by the Enforcement Directorate for siphoning off ₹24 lakh. The petitioner pointed out that the businessman had failed to cooperate with the ED investigation and skipped multiple summons in the money laundering case registered against him. He had filed the Vigilance case to escape legal action against himself.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Time of India
Bribery case: Kerala HC seeks state govt's views on ED officer's pre-arrest bail plea
Kochi: HC has sought instructions from the state govt on the anticipatory bail plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED), Kochi assistant director Sekhar Kumar, in a vigilance case alleging that he demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from a Kollam-based cashew businessman to derail an ED investigation. The bench of Justice G Gireesh adjourned the matter to June 2 for further hearing. The case stems from a complaint filed by Aneesh Babu, a cashew trader, who alleged that ED officials demanded a bribe to halt an ongoing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), initiated after a police-registered cheating case against him. The police case was based on allegations that Aneesh collected advance payments from local traders by promising to supply imported cashew nuts at rates below international prices but failed to deliver. Following the police FIR, the ED registered a case against Aneesh. He later alleged that two middlemen, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, approached him on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to stop the investigation. The vigilance department arrested both middlemen, who, during interrogation, named Sekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused. Sekhar Kumar, however, maintained that there is no evidence connecting him to the arrested individuals and claimed that he has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and vexatious intent.
