Judge claims he was offered Rs 25 lakh to save accused

In a stunning revelation, a sitting judge of the Kerala high court on Monday said that smugglers had offered him Rs 25 lakh to save an accused detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (Cofeposa). Justice K.T. Sankaran made the oral observation and pursuant to this, vigilance and anti-corruption bureau special cell S.P. Sasidharan met the judge later in the day and collected information.

Vigilance director Jacob Thomas asked the SP special cell to look into the matter. A division bench comprising Justice Sankaran and Justice A. Hariprasad also recused themselves from hearing the petitions challenging the preventive detention order issued against the accused persons in the gold smuggling case. The case pertains to the smuggling of 2,000 kg of gold through Cochin International Airport with the help of airport staff, including an ex-immigration officer.

The judge observed that he received a phone call offering Rs 25 lakh or above if there was an order in favour of an accused. The bench observed, “Quite unfortunately, we are not in a position to hear the cases for reasons beyond our control and for reasons which do not manifest a healthy state of affairs. One of us (Justice Sankaran) is not in a position to hear these cases due to certain subsequent unfortunate events. Therefore, these cases are avoided by Justice Sankaran.”

The order did not mention any names or the case details in which the bribe was offered. The accused in the case are P.S. Noushad, A.A. Faisal, M.M. Salim, K.B. Fazil, Yasir Ibnu Muhammed, M.S. Syfudheen, Jabin K. Basheer, Bibin Scaria and Shinoy K. Mohandas. The accused except Faisal, who is absconding, were detained in the central prison, Thiruvananthapuram, in October last year.