Life Mission Case: Kerala HC rejects bail plea of former principal secretary M Sivasankar

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday rejected the bail plea of former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a money laundering case registered against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Life Mission project. Justice A Badharudeen delivered the verdict.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) FIR, which alleged that the project was funded by a foreign organization in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), formed the basis for the ED case. 

Anil Akkara, a former MLA for the Thrissur district's Wadakkanchery, submitted a complaint in 2020 alleging that the LIFE Mission project had breached FCRA guidelines, which led to problems for the project. He specifically objected to the proposal in his Wadakkanchery constituency.

The State government had agreed to grant land to building contractors picked by the funders for the project. The UAE consulate's Red Crescent provided funding for the Wadakkanchery project.

Akkara asserted that the Kerala government broke the FCRA by accepting money from Red Crescent for Unitac Builders (which was chosen as a contractor). 

His bail application was denied on March 2 by a Special Court for cases involving violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which is what prompted the High Court to hear the current argument.

Additionally, Sivasankar is charged with money laundering in a separate case involving the smuggling of gold through diplomatic channels at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. He was held in custody in that case for about three months before the High Court granted him bail in January 2021.

The Government of Kerala's LIFE (Livelihood Inclusion Financial Empowerment) Mission is to construct free homes for all of the state's homeless people. For all the landless and homeless people in the State, the LIFE mission concept envisions a comprehensive housing programme. 

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