KOCHI : The High Court has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) not to summon Thomas Isaac, who is contesting from Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency on LDF ticket for questioning in connection with the issuance and utilisation of Masala bond by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board till the election is over.
The court said there is less than a month for the election to be over. “Even if the ED wants to investigate the transactions, I don’t think it should be done during these days. Let the election be over,” said Justice T R Ravi.
The court, which had gone through the files relating to the case submitted by the ED, said, “there were some transactions which need explanations”.
The court adjourned the final hearing on May 22. When the petition filed by Isaac and KIIFB challenging the ED summons came up for hearing, the court said that since the petitioner was standing as a candidate in the elections, he should not be disturbed by summoning him for questioning during the polls days.
The court also observed that the petitioners need to explain some of the end-use transactions of the funds received by way of Masala bond.
The HC said that it was not proper for the court at this stage to disclose the details of the transactions in the order, since these were matters to be put to the person facing investigation. The court observed that if the ED wanted to probe these transactions, it should not be done during the election times.
When ED’s counsel submitted that Isaac could be asked to appear on a date convenient to him, the HC orally observed that if the court issued such a directive, it would be putting pressure on him to give up his contention that he was not bound to appear before the ED.
