Coming down heavily on the state police, the Kerala High Court on Monday asked where the money collected by the accused persons in solar panel cheating case had gone and whether those who lost the money would get it back. Justice S S Satheesachandran made the oral observation while considering the bail plea of actress Shalu Menon who is an accused in a cheating case in connection with the solar scam.
The Court also flayed the SIT and expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which the inquiry was progressing without co-ordination and said the court would not hesitate to summon ADGP A Hemachandran, who heads the SIT probing the case. It observed that Saritha S Nair was not allowed to submit a written statement even after the court permitted her. She had made a confidential statement before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) Court at Ravipuram on Saturday. And the court had asked Saritha to submit the statements in writing as well. However the police took her to another court and obtained police custody, said the court. It was suspicious that the police are not allowing Saritha to depose before the court, the court observed and added that it’s a shameful act on the part of police. The SIT is trying to trivialise the court proceedings, it said. The court also pointed out another incident in the case that a magistrate had remanded an accused for one month. It observed that the magistrate has no right to remand an accused for more than 15 days in judicial custody.
A serious investigation is essential as the offences involved in the crime are grave in nature, it was observed. It was a big fraud like teak-manchiyam-goat schemes and money chain marketing cases, the court said.