Monthly-pay off case: Documents should not be handed over to Shaun George, says High Court

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed that documents related to the CMRL monthly pay-off case, in which the Chief Minister's daughter Veena Vijayan is an accused, should not be handed over to BJP leader Shaun George. The High Court specifically restrained the release of documents that contain the names of the accused and other details to Shaun George. The court said that the Ernakulam Additional Sessions Court can issue an order on the petition seeking these records. However, if the lower court’s decision is in favour of Shaun George, the handing over of the documents will be subject to the final verdict of the High Court.

In the monthly pay-off case involving CMRL, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had submitted a chargesheet in court along with a 775-page case diary. The diary reportedly contains more than 3,000 entries, including details of payments received by several individuals.

Shaun George had filed a petition in the special court in Ernakulam that hears SFIO cases, seeking a copy of these documents. While the court was about to deliver its order on the petition, CMRL approached the High Court claiming that the lower court was considering handing over the documents without hearing their arguments.