Latest news with #Kollam-based
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Loss of cargo due to sinking of container ship MSC Elsa 3: Kerala HC orders conditional arrest MSC Polo 2 anchored in Vizhinjam port
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered the conditional arrest of a Liberian-flag ship named MSC Polo 2 anchored in the Vizhinjam international seaport in connection with the sinking of container ship MSC Elsa 3 off the Kerala coast on May 25 on an admiralty suit filed by a cashew importer firm whose consignment was on board the sunken ship. The arrest order came on a petition seeking compensation of ₹73.49 lakh from Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for the loss of the consignment, filed by Praveena V.P., managing director of Kollam-based Sans Cashew India Private Limited. Her allegation was that the vessel sank due to its mechanical, technical defects/failure, owing to lack of proper care, and (also) the 'unseaworthiness' of the vessel, or due to the improper stowage of containers in the vessel due to incompetence of the crew. Beyond jurisdiction The counsel for the shipping firm contended that the vessel is beyond 14 nautical miles from the port and hence was beyond the court's jurisdiction. The court said that it is satisfied that the petitioner has made out an arguable maritime claim, warranting a conditional order of arrest of the vessel. No harm will be caused to the shipping firm if a conditional arrest is ordered, till furnishing of security by the shipping firm. In its order, the court said that the vessel is ordered to be arrested (by Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd – the second respondent in the case) until the first respondent MSC deposited the ₹73.49 lakh in the court, or until security for the amount is furnished. The warrant of arrest of the vessel would be withdrawn and the conditional order of arrest automatically vacated once the amount is deposited or security is furnished by the firm. The matter has been posted for hearing on June 23.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
ED officer accused of graft in Kerala transferred to Shillong
KOCHI: Shekhar Kumar, assistant director with Kochi unit of Enforcement Directorate (ED), who was arraigned as an accused by Kerala vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) in a corruption case, has been transferred to Shillong as part of a nationwide reshuffle of ED officers. Kumar was named as the first accused in a case registered by VACB based on a complaint by a Kollam-based businessman, Aneesh Babu, who was allegedly asked to pay a bribe of Rs 2 crore to evade an ED investigation. However, the state agency did not arrest or question him. Vigilance had arrested Wilson Varghese, Mukesh Kumar and a chartered accountant, Ranjit Warrier, in the case. The complainant, a cashew trader, was asked to appear before the ED through a summons in 2024 in connection with a money laundering probe. Subsequently, Wilson called up Aneesh Babu and allegedly told him that he would be off the hook if he paid Rs 2 crore to the ED official. The complainant was asked to pay Rs 2 lakh in cash on May 15 this year, and vigilance caught Wilson red-handed while accepting the money. ED's special task force in Delhi later launched a probe into the bribery allegations against its official. ED sources rubbished Babu's allegations, saying it was an attempt to trigger a media trial with an intent to malign the image of the agency and deflect attention from the ongoing PMLA investigation against him.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Bribery case: Kerala HC extends order restraining arrest of ED officer
Kochi: HC on Tuesday extended for two more weeks its earlier interim order restraining the arrest of Shekhar Kumar, assistant director of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi, who is facing a vigilance case for allegedly demanding Rs 2 crore bribe from a Kollam-based cashew trader to derail a money laundering probe. Justice A Badharudeen is considering Kumar's pre-arrest bail plea. The state govt sought additional time to file its reply, citing the need to analyse digital data retrieved from the mobile phones of other accused, which had been sent for forensic examination. Granting the request, HC adjourned the matter to July 3. The case stems from a complaint filed by Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew businessman, who alleged that ED officials demanded a bribe to halt proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The PMLA investigation followed a police case accusing Aneesh of cheating local traders by taking advance payments for imported cashew nuts without supplying the goods. According to the complaint, two middlemen, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, approached Aneesh on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to drop the investigation. The vigilance officials arrested both middlemen, who, during interrogation, allegedly implicated Shekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused. In a related development, Justice Kauser Edappagath on Tuesday closed the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Aneesh Babu in the PMLA case. The ED submitted that Babu had only been summoned as an informer and that there was no intent to arrest him. The court, recording the submission, closed his petition.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Time of India
ED bribery case: Kerala HC tells prosecution to produce case diary
Kochi: High court on Wednesday orally directed the prosecution to produce the case diary in the pre-arrest bail plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) assistant director Shekhar Kumar, who is facing a vigilance case for allegedly demanding a Rs 2 crore bribe from a Kollam-based cashew businessman to derail an ED investigation. During hearing before the bench of Justice A Badharudeen, the public prosecutor sought additional time to obtain instructions from the state govt regarding the matter. Granting the request, HC adjourned the hearing to June 17 and extended the interim order restraining Kumar's arrest until then. The case originates from a complaint filed by cashew trader Aneesh Babu, who alleged that ED officials demanded a bribe to halt an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The PMLA proceedings were initiated following a police case registered against Aneesh for allegedly cheating local traders by taking advance payments for imported cashew nuts and failing to deliver the goods. In his complaint, Aneesh alleged that two middlemen, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, approached him on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to stop the ED probe. The vigilance department arrested both middlemen, who, during interrogation, allegedly named Shekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused in the case. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Kumar, in his plea, has denied any involvement and contended that there is no material linking him to the arrested individuals. He further claimed that he has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and that the case is driven by vexatious intent.
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
HC raps VACB for seeking repeated adjournment in ED official's bail plea
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday slammed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for repeatedly seeking adjournments on an anticipatory bail petition filed by Shekhar Kumar, Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate, in a case relating to the alleged demand of ₹2 crore as bribe from a Kollam-based cashew businessman to save him from an ED case. When the anticipatory bail petition came up for hearing, Justice A. Badharudeen orally observed that the petition seemed to have been filed on May 26, almost three weeks ago. Now the prosecution wanted to file an objection. 'How can an anticipatory bail plea be kept pending for several weeks, that too due to the lapses of the prosecution.' The court asked the VACB to file a statement, if any, on or before June 17 in response to the bail petition.
