As many as seven members of the Bar Council of Kerala on Sunday urged the Council not to file an appeal before the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court order for a CBI probe into misappropriation of money from the Advocate Welfare Fund.
The opposition members led by Adv. Muhammed Shaw moved a resolution at a meeting of the council held on Sunday asking it not to file appeal against the High Court verdict. Since the council denied them permission to move the resolution, the seven members walked out of the meeting.
The opposition members told the media that protest meetings would be organised at all Bar Association offices. The findings of the High Court were very serious, and the council is bound to protect the interests of lawyers, and any attempt to scuttle CBI probe will only serve to protect the interests of those involved in the scam.
The High Court had issued the order on a writ petition filed by Adv. C.G. Arun and four other lawyers. The petitioners submitted that the probe by the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau was going at a snail’s pace. They alleged that every effort was being made to put the entire crime on the accountant.
The court had observed that the crime was spread over 10 years. It also said that the VACB investigation had not reached its logical conclusion. Several aspects need to be further investigated. The involvement of other persons in facilitating the crime could not be completely ruled out even now. Considering the experience and the availability of investigative skills, the investigation by a better-equipped agency was called for, the court had held.
