Kochi: The Kerala High Court restrained Monday the Customs from arresting M Sivasankar till October 23. Customs are currently probing the Kerala gold smuggling case. They have interrogated the suspended IAS officer and former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The High Court directed the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate to file its counter on M Sivasankar’s anticipatory bail plea by October 23.
In his petition, Sivasankar submitted that Customs officials had arrived at his residence Friday last in Thiruvananthapuram. They had come to serve notice on him to appear before the probe team. They took him along with them. However, as he developed chest pain, they rushed him to a nearby hospital in their car.
Sivasankar said he was totally exhausted due to the constant and continued travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi. This was going on continuously for the past few days as he had to attend the questioning of the agency.
Sivasankar is currently hospitalised in Thiruvananthapuram. He said he was questioned by different agencies for more than 90 hours. Even after prolonged questioning, none of the investigating agencies implicated him as an accused. He alleged that the attempt of the investigating agency was to sabotage the process of law.
Also read: Kerala gold smuggling case: Swapna Suresh gets bail as Customs fails to file chargesheet
Sivasankar submitted that he apprehends that the Customs will manage to register new crimes without any basis. They will then get him remanded to custody ‘to satisfy political wisdom as well as other vested interests’.
Seeking anticipatory bail, Sivasankar said he has complied with all the directions till now. There is no scope for him absconding also.
Last week, the High Court restrained the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the money trail in the sensational gold smuggling case, from arresting Sivasankar, till October 23.
