KOCHI: The Kerala High Court will consider today the plea filed by Muslim League leader K M Shaji seeking the return of Rs 47,35,000 seized by the vigilance. The plea is that during the raid in the case of amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, the vigilance seized the money. Justice Ziyad Rehman will deliver the verdict.

The money was seized last year from Shaji's house at Azhikode in Kannur. Shaji claimed that the seized cash was part of the election funds collected. The action of vigilance was assessed as suspicious, including the fact that more money than the amount that can be collected in the election receipts was found in many receipts.

The vigilance court had earlier rejected the demand of K M Shaji to return the money. A case was taken against Shaji on the complaint of CPM activist Harish that the house worth one and a half crore rupees in Kozhikode was built through illegal acquisition of property. The high court had earlier stayed the further proceedings in the case.

A vigilance and enforcement case were filed against Shaji for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the school management to allow Plus Two in Azhikode High School. However, in last April, both the cases were canceled by the high court.