The Kerala High Court on Friday stayed all further proceedings initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for attaching assets worth ₹25 lakh of Asha Shaji, wife of former Azhikode MLA and IUML leader K.M. Shaji, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case registered against them.
The stay order came on a petition filed by Mr. Shaji and his wife challenging the order of attachment issued by the ED in a crime registered against them under the PMLA. The case was registered for allegedly taking bribe of ₹25 lakh to allot Plus Two course at the Azhikode High School during the tenure of the previous United Democratic Front government.
The petitioners contended that even assuming that the allegations were true, still no proceedings under the PMLA could be initiated against the petitioners as the offences on which the proceedings were initiated by the ED were not “scheduled offences” within the meaning of the PMLA.
The case was registered on the basis of an FIR registered by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Therefore, the case registered by the ED was unsustainable and without jurisdiction.
They alleged that the proceedings were ill-motivated and initiated due to political reasons.
