The Supreme Court criticized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for its handling of the diplomatic gold smuggling case, questioning its interest due to repeated transfer requests. The ED sought to move the trial from Kerala to Karnataka, sparking allegations of political bias.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rebuked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for its handling of the diplomatic gold smuggling case, questioning the agency's interest in pursuing the case due to repeated requests to transfer the trial. The court's criticism came during a hearing on the ED's plea to transfer the trial from Kerala to Karnataka.
The central agency request to transfer the trial from Kerala to Karnataka was met with criticism, with allegations that the ED's preference for Karnataka stemmed from the BJP being in power in the state at the time of filing the plea. However, Karnataka is currently governed by a Congress government.
The bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud heard the plea. Previously, the ED had submitted a counter-affidavit in response to the opposing affidavits filed by the state government and M Sivasankar, who are parties in the case. The ED had argued that transferring the trial outside Kerala would not harm the state's judiciary's reputation, alleging that the state government attempted to hinder the investigation after M Sivasankar's involvement came to light.
In July 2020, 30 kilograms of 24-carat gold worth Rs 14.82 crores were seized by Customs officials at Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic bag meant for the UAE Consulate. The case led to the suspension of M Sivasankar, Principal Secretary to Kerala's Chief Minister, due to his links with key accused Swapna Suresh.