Kerala Replaces Prosecutor in ED Assault Case After Bail Controversy

The Kerala government on Sunday appointed senior advocate A. Santhosh Kumar as the Special Public Prosecutor in a case involving the alleged assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. The incident occurred following a raid at the residence of Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram.

The appointment comes amid controversy over the handling of the prosecution after the ninth accused, Harish Kumar, a worker of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), was granted bail. The Thiruvananthapuram City Police had sought the removal of the existing prosecutor, T. Geena Kumari, whose conduct during the bail proceedings has been called into question.

Police officials alleged that the prosecutor failed to effectively oppose the bail application, despite a detailed report recommending its rejection. According to sources, a report citing 13 grounds for denying bail was not adequately presented before the court. It is also contended that the prosecutor argued that custodial interrogation was unnecessary, a stance that allegedly facilitated the grant of bail to the ninth accused.

Subsequently, Museum Station House Officer (SHO) R. Prashanth met the Director General of Prosecutions and submitted the case diary along with a report detailing the alleged lapses. Based on these findings, the government decided to entrust the prosecution to a Special Public Prosecutor.

The change in prosecution comes at a critical juncture as the bail applications of the other accused in the case are scheduled to be heard by the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court in the coming days. Officials have expressed concern that the bail granted to the ninth accused could influence the consideration of similar pleas filed by the remaining accused.

The state government is also considering filing an appeal in the Kerala High Court against the bail order. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala confirmed that steps are being taken to appoint the Special Public Prosecutor. He stated that the government could not accept any circumstance in which a prosecutor was perceived to have facilitated bail for the accused. “We are considering how to remove the prosecutor who allegedly colluded to facilitate bail for the accused,” he added.