A statement of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before the Kerala High Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may have to step in for probing the cases against fake antiquities dealer Monson Mavunkal should be viewed as a motivated one, according to a statement filed by the State Government before the High Court.
Opposing the ED’s stance, the government submitted that “the entry of the ED in the present case and its overenthusiasm shown through its counsel to bring the CBI, which has no role either legally or factually in the allegation made by the petitioner, in the picture cannot be viewed lightly”.
ED’s counsel had earlier submitted before the court that the agency could conduct a probe only into the financial trail of the alleged scam perpetrated by Monson. In fact, the CBI may have to step in to probe the other offences committed by him. The submissions were made when a petition filed by the former driver of Monson alleging police harassment had come up for hearing.
The “posture” of the ED in the recent past had been against the basic tenets of the federal system, which was an inalienable part of the basic structure of the Constitution, added the State Government.
The Government further pointed out that the cases against Monson related to cheating and allied offences raised by private parties, who had not raised any objection regarding the investigation by the police. Therefore, the submission of the ED was unnecessary.
The Government said the Special Investigation Team probing the cases would leave no stone unturned in unearthing the truth of all allegations and, therefore, there was absolutely no requirement for any outside agency to probe the allegations.
The government also sought to close the petition filed by E.V. Ajith, former driver of Monson, as the grievance of the petitioner had now fully been redressed by giving an undertaking that the police would not harass him in any manner.
