Court quashes KM Shaji's plea seeking release of Rs 47.35 lakh seized by Vigilance

KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode Vigilance Court, on Friday, quashed IUML leader and former MLA KM Shaji's plea seeking the release of money seized from his house by Vigilance officials. The Vigilance seized Rs 47.35 lakh from his house in 2020. KM Shaji's argument was that the money was the election fund from his party’s booth committees.

Last day, the court expressed doubt on the documents presented by KM Shaji to prove that it was an election fund. The court also asked Shaji if he had the Election Commission of India’s permission to issue such receipts as any amount above Rs 10,000 should be collected through cheques or demand drafts as per law.

In January 2020, Vigilance registered a bribery case against KM Shaji as an accused on the complaint that he had taken a bribe of Rs 25,00,000. The case was registered on the complaint filed by CPM leader Kuduvan Padmanabhan, who was the president of Kannur Block Panchayat. After that, the Vigilance raided Shaji's house in Azhikode and seized Rs. 47,35,500.