ED officer seeks anticipatory bail in Kerala vigilance case

Kochi | A senior officer of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail after being named as the first accused in a corruption case registered by the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).

Shekhar Kumar (37) is currently serving as Assistant Director at the ED's Kochi office.

In his bail application, Kumar claimed that he has been falsely implicated in the case.

The charges against him fall under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which relates to taking undue advantage to influence a public servant through corrupt or illegal means or personal influence.

He also faces a charge under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with criminal conspiracy.

The case stems from a complaint by a man linked to 'Vazhavila Cashews', a cashew trading business in Kottarakara owned by his mother.

The Enforcement Directorate had previously summoned the complainant and his parents in 2021 over allegations that they took large advance payments from local cashew traders but failed to deliver cashew imports as promised.

The ED began investigating under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, following several police cases registered in different stations, with claims of fraud amounting to Rs 24 crore.

The complainant has now alleged that a second accused person told him to pay Rs 2 crore to Shekhar Kumar to avoid prosecution.

He also claimed he was asked to pay Rs 2 lakh on May 15, 2025. The FIR was filed based on these allegations.

However, in his plea, Kumar argued that he is innocent and has no connection with the second accused.

He also pointed out that there has been no contact between him and the other accused, nor any financial transactions linking him to the alleged bribe demand.

Kumar maintained that the complainant, who has failed to cooperate with the ED investigation and skipped multiple summons, is now using the vigilance case as a tactic to escape legal action against himself.

The petition noted that the complainant and his family had even approached the Supreme Court seeking protection but were denied relief.

Kumar said he has served in the ED since 2014 and has a clean service record. He said his arrest would cause undue hardship.

He has assured the court that he will fully cooperate with the investigation and will not influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.

Earlier, the VACB had said it was collecting evidence in the sensational bribery case involving the ED officer in the state, and further action would follow based on the findings.

According to the VACB's remand report, the ED official is the main accused. So far, three people--including a chartered accountant--have been arrested.

They allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from the businessman in exchange for not naming him in an ED investigation.

ED sources, however, dismissed the bribery allegations as a deliberate attempt by the businessman called Aneesh Babu to malign the agency.