Kochi, Aug 23 The Kerala High Court on Saturday granted regular bail to Liviya Jose, a 21-year-old woman accused of conspiring to implicate beautician Sheela Sunny in a fabricated narcotics case.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed that, given her age and the period of custody already undergone, further detention was not necessary.
The case traces back to February 27, 2023, when Excise officials conducted a surprise search at Sunny's beauty parlour near here and allegedly recovered what they claimed were LSD stamps from her handbag and scooter.
She was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and spent 72 days in jail, facing social stigma and the loss of her livelihood.
However, subsequent chemical analysis revealed that the seized material did not contain LSD.
In 2023, the High Court quashed the FIR against Sunny, accepting a report by the Assistant Excise Commissioner which confirmed the contraband was misidentified.
Investigations later revealed that the case was the result of a conspiracy.
Jose, the sister of Sunny's daughter-in-law, allegedly masterminded the plan to frame her.
According to police, Narayana Das, who was arrested in April this year, had tipped off the Excise Department, but under the influence of Jose.
Sunny had earlier pointed out that a day before her arrest, her daughter-in-law and Liviya had visited her home, eaten food she served, and taken her two-wheeler out.
Soon after the arrest of Das, Jose fled to the Middle East.
A lookout notice was issued, and she was finally apprehended by immigration authorities at Mumbai International Airport when she came back in June. Since then, she has been in jail.
While Jose got bail on Saturday, Das had already been granted bail earlier.
The ordeal has taken a heavy toll on Sunny, who has remained vocal about her determination to restore her reputation and seek justice after being wrongfully jailed.
The case, meanwhile, has highlighted procedural lapses in narcotics enforcement and the devastating personal consequences of false implication under the stringent NDPS law.
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