The Kerala High Court has issued an interim order restraining the arrest of an Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) based in Kochi, who is currently facing bribery allegations.
The bench of Justice P. G. Ajithkumar passed the order while considering the official’s anticipatory bail plea, scheduling the next hearing for June 11.
The directive came after the Public Prosecutor informed the court that no immediate arrest would be made and sought additional time to respond to the petition. Taking this into account, the court granted temporary protection from arrest until the matter is heard in detail.
The ED officer in question has been accused of demanding a bribe of ₹2 crore from a businessman, Aneesh Babu, allegedly in exchange for relief in a case being investigated by the agency. The complaint was lodged by Aneesh with the Ernakulam Vigilance Station, triggering legal proceedings.
However, the ED official has dismissed the allegations, claiming that the businessman filed the complaint as a tactic to evade the ongoing investigation against him.
This development follows a recent trend of the judiciary stepping in to address sensitive matters involving central agencies and their officials. In a related case, the Kerala High Court recently allowed a transgender couple’s plea to be recognized as “parents” rather than “father” and “mother” in their child’s birth certificate, marking another progressive stance by the court.
Case Detail
Case Title: Shekhar Kumar v State of Kerala
Case No: BA 6918 of 2025
