The Kerala government suffered a setback as the High Court rejected its appeal against a stay on a judicial commission. The commission was set up to investigate Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials linked to the gold smuggling case.
A Single Bench had earlier stayed the commission. The state then moved the Division Bench, but the court upheld the stay. The order keeps the commission’s work suspended until further legal action.
The ED argued that the state had no authority to probe central agency officers during an active investigation. It cited the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, to support its claim. The agency said the move by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan aimed to disrupt the ongoing gold smuggling investigation.
The court agreed with the ED’s argument and dismissed the state’s appeal. This ruling limits Kerala’s legal options while the ED continues its high-profile probe. The gold smuggling case, first exposed in 2020, remains one of the state’s most politically charged controversies.
