Vigilance court asks whether KM Shaji had permission to collect election funds

KOZHIKODE: Kozhikode Vigilance court has adjourned the judgment on Muslim League leader KM Shaji’s plea demanding to return Rs 50 lakh seized from his house in Kannur. The verdict will be announced on November 4. Expressing doubt over the collection of election funds, the court asked Shaji's lawyer if the Election Commission had given permission to collect the money.

Most of the receipts produced by Shaji are of Rs 20,000. The court asked whether the permission was to collect up to Rs10,000. Vigilance had earlier argued that Shaji had done huge amount transactions not through bank. The vigilance had filed a counter affidavit in the court demanding not to return the money. The Vigilance stance is that the receipts produced by Shaji are fake and the return of the seized money will affect the illegal wealth acquisition case in a major way. At the same time, Shaji says that out of the money seized from the house, Rs 32 lakh belongs to him and the rest is the election fund.