Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26 (IANS): Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday decided to order a judicial probe against the Enforcement Directorate following a complaint by two women police officials that they heard the ED officers pressuring the prime accused in Gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh and asking her loaded questions to name Vijayan.
This new judicial probe will be headed by Justice (rtd) V.K. Mohan and the terms of reference also have been given.
To make this a reality, the Vijayan government has to get the approval of the Election Commission, the procedures for that have also commenced.
Incidentally, this judicial probe comes close on the heels after Vijayan ordered the Crime Branch wing of the Kerala Police to register a case against the ED officials who were responsible for this.
An FIR has been filed before a court in Kochi against Kochi ED officials on charges which include conspiracy and other non-bailable offences.
This new move comes a few days after the ED officials approached the Kerala High Court to quash the FIR registered against them and sought a CBI probe into this.
All this is happening at a time when Kerala goes to the polls on April 6 to elect a new 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly.
And ever since Vijayan took over the election campaign, practically every day he makes it a point to say that the government under him was of a different breed and it has always taken on the Centre. This was especially so when it became the first state in the country to announce that the CAA won't be implemented there.
He also raised the way 'the Central probe agencies are out to tarnish the image of the government, whose only agenda is development of the state'.
Meanwhile, senior Congress legislator and a former Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said there was nothing but a ploy by Vijayan to thwart any new move by the Central agencies in the various cases that they are probing in Kerala.
"Vijayan just wants to stall any fresh move till April 6 and for that he will go to any extent," said Radhakrishnan.