High Court to hear bail pleas of seven CPI(M) workers after two rejections

The Kerala High Court is set to consider bail pleas on July 30 and August 4 from seven CPI(M) activists who were alleged to have attacked Enforcement Directorate officials in May. The pleas follow two consecutive dismissals by the Session Court.

The ED has named an Assistant Solicitor General to contest the applications, while the accused have engaged a panel of senior criminal attorneys. The petitioners named in the filings are Shri Jeet, Anil Kumar, Shafiq, Kiran, Nishad Jeevan and two additional members of the CPI(M) cadre.

A total of 24 party workers have been held in judicial custody for more than 60 days. The accused contend that the allegations are baseless, noting the absence of any weapon, lack of serious injury, and no forensic identification tests after the alleged assault.

The controversy originates from a May incident when ED officers conducted a search at the rented house of opposition leader Pinaraij Vijayan, connected to a probe involving his daughter Veena’s former IT enterprise. As the officers departed in hired vehicles, a crowd of CPI(M) supporters reportedly attacked the convoy, causing minor injuries to an ED driver and damage to the cars.

The agency has allocated ₹1.75 lakh for repairing the damaged rental vehicles. Meanwhile, the state government has filed a petition to cancel a bail order that was briefly granted, arguing that the attempted murder charge warrants continued detention.

Legal experts suggest that the pending partial charge‑sheet could influence the applicability of statutory bail, making the upcoming High Court hearings pivotal for both the activists and the investigating agency.