The Compliance Directorate (ED) convened the additional private secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CM Raveendran, on Wednesday in connection with certain appointments in the information technology ministry.
A political appointee, considered close to the CM, was asked to report to the emergency room in Kochi on Friday. The subpoena came on the day the state government revoked the blanket consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation to bring cases in the state. Former CM Chief Secretary M Sivasankar, a senior IAS official, is in ED custody in connection with the gold smuggling case.
While investigating the gold smuggling case, investigating agencies found alleged wrongdoing and commissions on some other projects as well. According to officials who are part of the multi-agency investigation, Raveendran was subpoenaed based on Sivasankar’s statement. Leader of the Kannur (North Kerala) party, Raveendran had previously served several ministers. He was secretary to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan when he was Minister of the Interior in the VS Achuthanandan government.
When Sivasankar was arrested on October 28, the government quickly distanced itself from him, but in Raveendran’s case it will be difficult for the party to fire him. Besides the government, the party (CPI (M) is also in big trouble after the arrest of the son of Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Bineesh Kodiyeri, in connection with the Bengaluru drug case.
Kodiyeri sought trouble after defendant Bengaluru drug dealer Anoop Mohammad gave a statement to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in which he mentioned his name. He said that Bineesh Kodiyeri, Balakrishnan’s second son, had helped him a lot in his “business venture.”
His name also featured prominently on Mohammad’s call list. In the pre-trial detention report, the DE said that he injected at least 5 million rupees into the drug business that started in 2015.
Kodiyeri’s arrest has put the ruling party in great shame and there are reports that his father expressed his desire to resign, but the central leaders prevailed over him, saying that he will give the impression that the charges were correct and that the party knew. of their mistreatment. The Emergency Department raided his home and seven other establishments near him on Wednesday.
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