Supreme Court directs ED to state its position on Sivasankar's treatment

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court adjourned the bail plea of ​​Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's former principal secretary M Sivasankar in the Life Mission case to August 2. A bench comprising Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to express its stand on Sivasankar's demand for treatment in a private hospital. M. Sivasankar, who was arrested by ED on February 14, is now in jail.

When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told on behalf of ED that Sivasankar was not ready to seek treatment in a government hospital, the court inquired why the person who was a government official was taking such a stand. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta replied that the government hospital did not have the necessary facilities for Sivasankar's treatment. Following this, the court sought the position of ED.

Sivasankar had approached the High Court for interim bail while the bail plea was pending in the Supreme Court. He later withdrew the petition when the High Court clarified that it would not interfere in the matter. Sivasankar approached the Supreme Court for bail on the grounds that he was suffering from cancer. According to Sivasankar, his arrest is part of a political stunt. He alleged in the petition that ED is targetting not only him but also the Chief Minister and his family.