The Kerala High Court on Friday granted interim protection to K. Sudhakaran, a Member of Parliament (MP) and President of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, in a cheating case involving fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal.
A single bench of Justice Ziyad Rahman AA directed the police officials’ counsel to obtain instructions and ordered that no coercive action be taken against Sudhakaran until the next hearing on June 21.
The bench was hearing an anticipatory bail application filed by Sudhakaran.
The KPCC President plea contended that the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police in 2021, based on a 2018 complaint, did not include any allegations against him. The alleged offenses, punishable under Sections 468, 471, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), involve forgery, fraudulent use of a document, and cheating.
Sudhakaran stated that he received a notice under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) after 19 months of the case being registered, summoning him to appear before the Crime Branch due to suspected involvement in the crime.
The plea claimed that Sudhakaran believes the delayed notice is a tactic to involve him in the controversy and damage his reputation, which he established through years of
public service. He argued that custodial interrogation was unnecessary since there is no substance to the allegations and no evidence of his culpability. Sudhakaran expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation and assured that he would not evade justice.
Additionally, Sudhakaran stated that he already committed to prior meetings and consultations, making it impossible for him to appear on the scheduled day set by the Crime Branch. Therefore, the plea requested an alternative date for his personal appearance.
