The Kerala High Court has granted bail to four more accused individuals involved in the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid on former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence in May. Justice Kauser Edappagath allowed the bail petitions, imposing the same conditions as on the bail applications of the nine accused who were granted bail on Monday.
The conditions include execution of a bond for ₹1 lakh each with two solvent sureties, staying away from the jurisdiction of the Sub Divisional Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cantonment Police Station, Thiruvananthapuram, and depositing ₹10,000 each before the magistrate court with jurisdiction. The accused must also remain in the territory of Kerala, cooperate fully with the investigation, appear before the investigating officer every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and abstain from committing any offense or influencing any prosecution witness directly or indirectly.
The court allowed the petitions, noting that the accused had spent more than 60 days in custody and that the investigation had reached its final stage. The State alleged that the accused, part of a 300-person mob, had attacked the officials and damaged the vehicles they used, causing a loss of ₹2,20,000 to the government. The raid was in connection with allegations that Exalogic, a now-defunct firm owned by T. Veena, Mr. Vijayan’s daughter, was receiving monthly payments from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited, a mining company, without rendering any service.
The accused were granted bail after spending over two months in custody, and the investigation has reached its final stage. The court’s decision comes as a relief to the accused, who have been in custody since the incident in May.
