The Kerala High Court declined to order a CBI investigation into the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the rented residence of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his daughter in the state capital on May 27. The court noted that the state police’s investigation was progressing well. A detailed status report presented by the state government outlined the steps taken in the probe.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar disposed of the Public Interest Litigation after reviewing the progress detailed in the state’s report. The court had earlier instructed the state to report on actions taken post the FIR registration related to the incident. The Commissioner of Police, Thiruvananthapuram City, provided a statement detailing the ongoing investigation.
A case has been registered at the Museum Police Station under relevant laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The police have gathered scientific, forensic, photographic, and videographic evidence from the scene, including glass fragments and soil samples. So far, 25 accused individuals have been identified, arrested, and placed in judicial custody, with the investigation still in progress.
Medical records of both the injured ED officials and the accused have been collected as part of the probe. The investigation team has requested video footage of the incident from various media organizations. Statements from 44 witnesses have been recorded, and efforts are ongoing to identify more suspects using available video evidence.
The state refuted allegations in the PIL, stating there was no prior intelligence input on the incident, thus no intelligence failure. It emphasized that prompt police deployment prevented further escalation. The state also denied claims of bias in the investigation, shielding influential persons, interference by trade unions, or tampering with digital evidence, deeming these allegations baseless.
Based on the state’s progress report, the bench concluded that transferring the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation was unwarranted at this stage. The court stated that the investigation was progressing satisfactorily, finding no current need for CBI involvement.
