The Crime Branch team probing a cheating case involving the suspected fake antiquities dealer Monson Mavunkal has started questioning the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K. Sudhakaran who was arraigned as the second accused earlier this month.
The grilling is being held at the CB office in Kalamassery where a heavy police posse has been deployed considering the political significance of the case and for thwarting any protest by the Congress party. The questioning is likely to last for hours.
Faith in judiciary
Mr. Sudhakaran was originally scheduled to appear last week but he didn’t. Before leaving for the CB office, he yet again reiterated his innocence and expressed confidence of being able to easily prove it. “I repose faith in the judiciary and is confident of getting justice from the court. I am appearing for the questioning with that confidence,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.
He said that his conscience was clean and that he does not have an iota of guilt. “Hence, I am not scared no matter what evidence they produce. I haven’t exploited or taken bribe from anyone. In fact, not to take bribe is part of my political ethics. I am not scared of getting arrested in which case I can secure bail,” said Mr. Sudhakaran.
Anticipatory bail
While considering his anticipatory bail plea, the Kerala High Court hadn’t explicitly asked the CB not to arrest Mr. Sudhakaran but had set bail conditions for his release in the event he was arrested.
The CB decision to arraign KPCC chief as an accused in the cheating case had triggered a political storm with the opposition United Democratic Front dubbing it as politically-motivated. Later, the CPI (M) secretary M.V. Govindan had courted controversy after he said that CB will interrogate Mr. Sudhakaran in the POSCO case as well in which Monson was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rest of his natural life. However, CB summarily denied it.
Cheating case
Mr. Sudhakaran was arraigned as the accused in the cheating case after the petitioners who lodged a complaint against Monson of duping them of ₹10 crore accused that they had paid another ₹25 lakh in the presence of Mr. Sudhakaran at the former’s house in Kaloor. Monson had allegedly convinced the petitioners that ₹2.65 lakh crore towards the proceeds from the sale of antiques to a royal family in the Gulf was being withheld by the Central Government and took the money from them claiming to get those funds released.
