Kerala gold smuggling case: SC seeks response from Kerala to transfer case to Karnataka
The Hindu
SC asked Kerala to file its reply by the end of the week and scheduled case for disposal on October 20.
The Supreme Court on October 10, 2022 sought a response from Kerala on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to transfer the Kerala gold smuggling case to a court in neighbouring Karnataka
A Bench of Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit and Justice S. Ravindra Bhat impleaded the State of Kerala and asked it to file its reply by the end of the week and scheduled the case for disposal on October 20.
The court also issued notice to M. Sivasankar, a senior IAS officer, who is also named in the gold smuggling case.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the ED, submitted that one of the accused, Swapna Suresh, was threatened in jail by some persons believed to be senior prison officials.
Kerala, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate C.K. Sasi, pointed out that it was not made a party by the ED in the transfer plea despite allegations being made against the State government.
Mr. Sibal objected to an oral remark by Mr. Mehta indicating that higher-ups in the echelons of the State government, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, may be "involved" in the case.
The case is centered around the smuggling of large quantities of gold through diplomatic channels.