M Sivasankar, former principal secretary of Kerala CMO, was on Wednesday taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) minutes after the Kerala High Court rejected the former’s anticipatory bail pleas in the gold smuggling case.  The move by the Enforcement Directorate came soon after the Kerala High Court rejected anticipatory bail pleas of the suspended IAS officer who is facing probe from the agency and the Customs in the gold smuggling case. 

A bench of Justice Ashok Menon read out the orders on Wednesday in the two applications moved by M. Sivasankar. The Order today followed heated exchanges between the Customs and the ED and the Counsel for M. Sivasankar on Friday. The high court had on two occasions restrained the Enforcement Directorate and Customs, probing the two separate cases in connection with the gold smuggling case, from arresting Sivasankar.  First till October 23 and then extended the immunity to October 28. 

Strongly opposing the anticipatory bail plea, the ED on Friday submitted that the custodial questioning of the officer was required as he was not cooperating with the investigation. The agency said the role of Sivasankar in the gold smuggling case was still being probed and granting him anticipatory bail will adversely affect the investigation.

As per the ED, the chats show that Suresh discussed everything with him and as such, it is highly unlikely that he was not aware of the money she was making through gold smuggling and also by way of commission kickbacks in the consulate contracts. Seeking the anticipatory bail, Sivasankar had said he has complied with all the directions till now and there was no scope for him absconding also.

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