Justice Ziyad Rahman AA previously granted the two defendants interim anticipatory bail, which has now been made absolute by the Kerala High Court. The defendants, K Sudhakaran (president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) and S Surendran (former deputy inspector general of police), were implicated in the Monson Mavunkal fake antiques scam.
The Court’s order stated that the defendants were granted unconditional interim bail on the condition that they continue to cooperate with the investigation and make themselves available for questioning. The Court took into account the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as the completion of the petitioners’ interrogation.
G Lakshman, Inspector General of Police and co-accused in the crime, also filed an application for anticipatory bail, which the court granted on an interim basis until the next hearing date.
The news of Monson Mavunkal allegedly defrauding individuals of over 10 crore through the sale of counterfeit antiques created headlines in the state. The petitioners are accused of being present when the money was handed over to Mavunkal, the main defendant.
The charges against them include violating Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 468 (forgery with intent to deceive), 471 (fraudulently using a document as genuine while believing it is forged), and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).
Previously, the court issued an interim order granting the defendants anticipatory bail, instructing them to surrender to the Investigation Officer as per the notice and to provide a 50,000 surety each.
The latest development is that the court has made this interim order final, considering that the petitioners have cooperated with the interrogation, and has closed the case.
