Kerala CM's aide in hospital, doesn't appear for ED quizzing

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Kochi, Nov 27 (IANS) With Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's close aide CM Ravindran failing to appear on Friday before Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning -- for the second time -- due to hospitalisation, the central agency is mulling other options.

Ravindran was admitted to the state-run Medical College Hospital in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on November 25, hours after the ED directed him to appear for questioning in the gold smuggling case on November 27.

Ravindran had complained of uneasiness and breathing difficulties that were believed to be post-Covid symptoms.

Early this month, after he was asked by the ED to appear for quizzing for the first time, Ravindran had reported coronavirus positive status. The first notice was served after gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh's alleged links with Ravindran surfaced.

The ED is now mulling other options, including moving a court to look for a way to question Ravindran.

Posted as an Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Minister, Ravindran is a CPI-M nominee. Even Vijayan has acknowledged that Ravindran is known to him for several years.

Ravindran was on the personal staff of Balakrishnan in 2006-11, when he was the Home Minister in VS Achuthanandan government. When Vijayan took over as Chief Minister in 2016, Ravindran wielded major clout.

Meanwhile, state CPI-M leaders will meet here on Friday in the wake of two protests held across the state over the alleged misuse of power by the BJP to target CPI-M leaders.

State BJP President K Surendran had predicted earlier that Sivasankar and Ravindran will be called for questioning by the ED. He has since claimed that the next person in the queue for questioning is Vijayan's Political Secretary Dinesan Puthelath.

--IANS

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