Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have succeeded in once again raking up a political debate over the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case. Yet, the cases booked by various investigation agencies in relation to the controversial gold smuggling case have not made much headway.
Speaking at a women’s meet organised by the State unit of the BJP in Thrissur on January 3, Mr. Modi had taken a dig at the office of the Chief Minister by referring to the gold smuggling case, in which M. Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister, was arraigned as an accused.
Mr. Modi raised the issue at a time when it has become a non-political issue in the State. The Pinarayi Vijayan government had secured a second term in office by facing the Assembly election held during the peak of the gold smuggling case controversy. However, the Prime Minister’s recent statement has once again triggered a political slugfest with the Congress making use of the opportunity to reiterate its allegation that an unholy alliance existed between the CPI (M) and the BJP. On its part, CPI(M) leaders said that the none of its leaders were implicated in any of the gold smuggling cases probed by as many as three central agencies.
Barring the two cases booked by the Customs for smuggling of gold and U.S. dollars, trial has not started in any of the cases booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, the two agencies have filed final complaints in all the cases they had probed.
While the ED filed the final complaints in two cases of alleged money laundering booked in connection with the gold and U.S. dollar smuggling cases three years ago, the NIA filed its final complaint in the case booked by invoking the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) two years ago.
The examination of witnesses is progressing in the cases booked by the Customs. The ED has issued summons to the accused in the gold smuggling case. Charges will have to be framed in the NIA case, where an accused has filed a discharge petition. It may take some more time for the trial in these cases to begin, legal sources said.
