The Kerala High Court has called upon the State to clarify its stance in the unfolding controversy surrounding Enforcement Directorate Assistant Director Shekhar Kumar—an officer now at the centre of a staggering ₹2 crore bribery allegation.
Kumar, currently stationed in Kochi, is battling claims that he tried to extort crores from a businessman under ED scrutiny. The scandal erupted after a man posing as an ED intermediary was allegedly caught red-handed accepting ₹2 lakh from one Aneesh Babu, a cashew trader under the Directorate’s scanner.
Babu, who lodged the complaint, says the payment was part of a much larger demand—₹2 crore in hush money to derail the ED’s case against him. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has since registered a case, naming Kumar as the primary accused. He’s facing charges of bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Three other accused in the same case have already been granted bail, with a vigilance court noting procedural lapses in their arrests.
Kumar, however, claims he’s been framed.
In his anticipatory bail application, Kumar paints himself as a scapegoat—an upright officer being dragged through the mud by someone trying to duck legal consequences. He accuses Babu of being a long-time absconder with a history of dodging the law and insists there’s been no contact between himself and the alleged middlemen.
“Subjecting a public servant with an unblemished record to the trauma of arrest would be a travesty of justice,” his petition argues.
The High Court, presided over by Justice G Girish, has asked the State Public Prosecutor to respond to the plea. The matter is now set for hearing on June 2.
As the legal dust swirls, questions linger: is this a case of corruption within the watchdog, or a desperate attempt to discredit an officer doing his job? The court may soon decide which story holds water.