Ernakulam: On Friday, May 26, a special Enforcement Directorate court rejected M Sivasankar's plea for an interim release on bail in the LIFE Mission scam case.
Sivasankar was the former principal secretary to the Kerala Chief Minister's Office. On February 14 of this year, he was taken into custody by Enforcement Directorate agents. Cases involving the Enforcement Directorate are being considered by a special court.
The case relates to the state government's LIFE Mission project, which had the goal of giving underprivileged people who had lost their homes to the 2018 floods new residences. The Thrissur district's Vaddakanchery is where the housing project was first suggested.
Out of the Rs 18.50 crore provided by the Red Crescent through the UAE consulate, the initiative aimed to spend Rs 14.50 crore on the construction of homes for 140 households in Vadakkanchery.
The Kerala High Court rejected Sivasankar's request for bail in the LIFE Mission Scam Case in April of this year, noting that he "has a lot of influence in the ruling party of Kerala." Particularly, he is close to the Chief Minister.
The Supreme Court is still considering Sivashankar's application for bail in the same case. Sivasankar said in his bail request to the High Court, "The arrest is a political stunt. The petitioner is not specifically accused of anything. The Enforcement Directorate used the petitioner's professional relationship with Kerala's Chief Minister to launch the entire case as a political hit.
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