In a recent ruling, the Kerala High Court has put a stop to any action being taken against the State Congress President and Kannur Lok Sabha member, K. Sudhakaran, in the cheating case involving fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, who is currently in prison. The court has stated that until the next hearing on Wednesday, no further action should be taken against Sudhakaran.
Sudhakaran is facing charges of cheating in connection with Mavunkal, who had allegedly taken INR 25 lakh from Anoop in 2018, at the Congress leader’s office in Kochi. When the money was being handed over, Sudhakaran was present, and he is said to have taken INR 10 lakh as a payment, promising to provide a favor to the client.
The Crime Branch has named Sudhakaran as the second accused in this case and requested that he appear before the investigation team on Wednesday. Sudhakaran, however, has refused to do so and has indicated that he will appear before them on June 23 instead. The Crime Branch has issued a fresh notice in response.
In his plea, Sudhakaran has contended that there was no allegation against him in the FIR that was filed in 2021 based on a complaint received in 2018, and it was only later that his name was included. Furthermore, Sudhakaran has stated that he has not taken any money from anyone and that he has done nothing wrong, as his lawyer, Mathew Kuzhalnaden, has argued in his anticipatory bail plea.
As it stands, the court has directed that no action be taken against Sudhakaran until the case can be heard again on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the situation remains tense for Sudhakaran, as he continues to fight these charges.