THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court has refused to quash the FIR registered against the United Nurses Association (UNA) office-bearers in the financial embezzlement case. The bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao maintained that the FIR cannot be quashed while a probe is on after which UNA state president Shoby Joseph withdrew his petition.
The Crime Branch special team is currently conducting a probe against UNA office-bearers, including its national president Jasmin Sha, for alleged financial irregularities. The investigation was ordered after UNA’s former leader Sibi Mukesh petitioned State Police Chief Loknath Behera alleging that `3.5 crore that came to UNA’s account was diverted to other accounts.
Jasmin has been arraigned as the first accused, while his wife Shabha has also been booked as eighth accused. Crime Branch had recently issued lookout notices against four UNA leaders alleging they were absconding. However, Jasmin decried the move saying that the investigating officer had vested interests and he had gone to Qatar to spend his vacation with his family there.