Indian Union Muslim League leader KM Shaji got a big relief from the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court upheld the decision of the Kerala High Court in the bribery and money laundering case against him. The High Court had dismissed the charges against Shaji.
This decision of the High Court was challenged in the Supreme Court by the Kerala Government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Supreme Court Justice Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih said that the High Court’s decision is correct and there is no justification in presenting it for re-hearing.
What is the matter?
KM Shaji was accused of taking a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from a school manager for changing the rules of Plus-Two curriculum in Kerala in 2014-15. Allegations of money laundering were also made in this case. However, the Supreme Court said that the ED and the Kerala government failed to prove these allegations. During this period, statements of a total of 54 witnesses were recorded.
During the hearing, the court said that there was no indication in the statement of any witness that Shaji had personally asked for or taken the money. A total of 54 statements have been recorded but not a single witness has said that money was asked for and they were given money. We have seen and heard the entire record of total 50 witnesses including the manager.
Last year, ED had raided Shaji’s house and seized Rs 47 lakh in cash. Later the Kerala High Court ordered the ED to return the seized amount to Shaji.
Two time MLA from Azhikode
KM Shaji has been MLA from Azhikode in Kannur district of Kerala twice. However, in 2018, he was disqualified by the High Court on charges of seeking votes in the name of religion and uniting people on communal lines.
Shaji is a popular political face in Kerala, but he is also known for his controversial statements. His statements against the former Chief Minister and the LGBTQ+ community have been in controversies earlier also.