THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an unprecedented move, the government has decided to list now-removed district pleader T Geena Kumari as respondent when it moves the Kerala HC against the bail given to an accused in the case related to the attack on ED officers during last month’s raid at Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram. Geena was removed from the post on Sunday and additional district pleader A R Shaji was given the charge.
Hareesh Kumar, the ninth accused, was granted bail after Geena informed the district court that his custody was not required as the probe was past the crucial stage.
This contradicted the police stand that Hareesh’s custody was indispensable. After bail was granted, police took a stern view of Geena’s conduct and informed the government that it cannot proceed with the investigation and court proceedings with the same pleader.
‘Facts misrepresented by pleader’
Sources in the government said that making Geena, a former state vice-president of SFI who was appointed the district pleader by the previous LDF administration, as one of the respondents in the appeal was unprecedented, yet unavoidable.
“The police clearly informed her about its objection to the bail plea. Still, she misrepresented facts, which could be construed as an act of fraud, and facilitated in the accused getting bail. Since she is made a respondent, she will be summoned by the court to explain her rationale for doing so,” the source said.
“In a case where there are 300 accused, of which only 25 have been arrested and two have fled the country, how can a public prosecutor take a stand that custody is not required and bail be granted? Forensic analysis of the mobile phones of the arrested persons is yet to be over and the investigation is still in the infant stage,” said the source.
Meanwhile, former district government pleader A Santosh Kumar has been appointed as special public prosecutor in the case.
He will appear for the state when the bail pleas of other accused are considered by the additional district and sessions court.
Following Hareesh’s bail, several arrested persons had transferred their bail petitions from the magistrate court to the district court.
Santosh appeared as public prosecutor in several high profile cases such as the Kalluvathukkal hooch tragedy of 2000 that left 32 dead and the Cheriyathura firing (Beemapally shooting) of 2009 in which six persons were killed.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had informed that the attack on the ED officials was a serious incident and the government was taking it with utmost seriousness.
