The Kerala High Court has asked the state to respond to a bail plea filed by an Enforcement Directorate officer accused of demanding a ₹2 crore bribe. Read the full details of the corruption case involving ED officials and alleged hawala links.

Introduction

On May 26, 2025, the Kerala High Court sought the State Government’s response to a bail application filed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer, Shekhar Kumar, accused of demanding a ₹2 crore bribe in exchange for relief in an ongoing investigation. The plea was heard by Justice G. Girish (no Wikipedia page found).

Bail Plea Filed by ED Officer Shekhar Kumar

Shekhar Kumar, an Assistant Director at the ED office in Kochi, filed a petition claiming that the bribery allegations are fabricated. He argued that the complainant, Aneesh Babu (no Wikipedia page), made false claims to evade investigation into his own financial crimes, including defrauding businesses by promising cheap imported cashew nuts.

Allegations Against the Complainant

The officer alleges that Aneesh Babu is involved in at least five fraud cases, with ₹24 crore reportedly embezzled. These scams involved collecting money under the guise of delivering imported cashew nuts through a business called Vazhavila Cashews, registered in Babu’s mother’s name.

Key Details of the Corruption Case

The ₹2 Crore Bribe Demand

According to the complaint, Shekhar Kumar allegedly threatened Aneesh Babu during an ED interrogation and demanded old company records. Shortly after, Wilson Varghese (no Wikipedia page), named as the second accused, contacted the complainant and demanded ₹2 crore to settle the matter in favor of Babu.

Vigilance Trap and Arrests

The Ernakulam Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau set up a trap, catching Wilson Varghese red-handed while accepting ₹2 lakh in bribe money. During the investigation, two more individuals were linked:

• Mukesh Kumar (no Wikipedia page) – Alleged involvement in hawala transactions

• Ranjith Warriar (no Wikipedia page) – A chartered accountant allegedly facilitating the operation

Legal Charges and Proceedings

The accused have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy and Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act for bribery involving public servants.

On May 22, the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha granted bail to the second, third, and fourth accused due to lack of proper documentation regarding the reasons for their arrest.

Legal Representation

The bail petition for Shekhar Kumar was filed by a team of advocates including:

• K. Aravind Menon

• P. Vijaya Bhanu (Senior Advocate)

• P. M. Rafiq

• M. Revikrishnan

• Ajeesh K. Sasi

• Sruthy N. Bhat

• Rahul Sunil

• Sruthy K. K.

• Nanditha S.

• Sohail Ahammed

• Harris P.P.

• Aaron Zacharias Benny

• P. Aravind Menon

(These names do not have Wikipedia pages, but can be internally linked if they are part of your site or legal directory.)

Conclusion

The case involving a senior Enforcement Directorate officer’s alleged corruption has stirred significant public interest, especially with connections to hawala networks and large-scale corporate fraud. The Kerala High Court’s decision on the bail plea will be a crucial turning point in the ongoing investigation.

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