SIT files report in Kerala HC against lawyer for collecting money on pretext of bribing judges

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 30 : A Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a report on Thursday before Kerala High Court on the progress of the investigation against Advocate Saiby Jose Kidangoor, President of the Kerala High Court Advocates Association and an accused in the case of allegedly collecting money from clients under the pretext of bribing High Court judges to give favourable verdicts.

Earlier the High Court refused to stay the FIR registered against Kidangoor.

Ernakulam Central Police had registered the FIR against Saiby, by invoking offences under Section 7(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The FIR had been registered with the approval of the Director General of Police (DGP).

Earlier the petitioner contended that he was not attempting to run away. The petitioner further said that a group of three or four lawyers had concocted a false complaint to the Registrar General who in turn informed the State Police Chief to investigate the matter.

"The State Police Chief had directed the City Commissioner of Police to conduct a preliminary enquiry. No concrete evidence had been brought out to inculpate the petitioner in the offence. All the persons mentioned in the complaint had been summoned by the Commissioner of Police, and their statements had been recorded. None of those statements had revealed anything against the petitioner so as to justify the allegations levelled against him by the lawyers", the petitioner said.

He further submitted in the Court that, "Due to the unwarranted involvement of media persons and a group of three or four lawyers who had personal enmity towards the petitioner, the crime was falsely registered against him. His entire career had been spoiled after the case was filed."

"The media, both print and visual, had given several fake news items against the petitioner for the reason they have a long-standing grudge towards the petitioner, as there was clash and dispute between media and lawyers and the privileges enjoyed by the media professionals were taken away on the intervention of the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association, on the initiation of the petitioner and others", he added.

The petitioner further stated, "A perusal of the entire allegations in the FIR shows that there are absolutely no ingredients to attract the sections either for committing any such offences either under Section 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act or Section 420 IPC. No cognizable offence is prima facie made out against the petitioner for investigating the matter, this matter falls under the rarest of the rare case where the petitioner was falsely implicated by a group of three or four lawyers and the police and is, therefore, liable to be quashed."

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