Kerala CM's close aide asked to appear before ED on Nov 27
Thiruuvananthapuram
25-November-2020
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday directed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's close aide CM Ravindran to appear before the agency officials at its Kochi office on Friday for questioning in the gold smuggling case.
Posted as an Assistant Private Secretary to the Chief Minister, Ravindran is a CPI-M nominee. Even Vijayan has acknowledged in recent times that Ravindran is known to him for several years.
Incidentally, it is for the second time that the ED notice has been served on Ravindaran. The notice was served early this month also, but Ravindran tested coronavirus positive and hence could not appear before the ED.
The notice was served as gold smuggling case prime accused Swapna Suresh's alleged links with Ravindran have surfaced.
Soon after Vijayan's Principal Secretary and senior IAS official M Sivasankar was arrested last month by the ED, reports had surfaced that the next person on the ED radar would be Ravindran.
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. - IANS
More Headlines
NRI Medical Professional Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar: The Richest Candidate in Lok Sabha Elections 2024
AI-Enabled SaaS Platform Accacia Raises $6.5 Million in Funding
Natch Snacks and Recircles Team Up for Sustainable Waste Management
Hyderabad BJP Candidate Booked For Hurting Religious Sentiments
BJP Loses Veteran Malikayya Guttedar to Congress Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections
NRI Medical Professional Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar: The Richest Candidate in Lok Sabha Elections 2024
AI-Enabled SaaS Platform Accacia Raises $6.5 Million in Funding
Natch Snacks and Recircles Team Up for Sustainable Waste Management
Hyderabad BJP Candidate Booked For Hurting Religious Sentiments
BJP Loses Veteran Malikayya Guttedar to Congress Ahead of Lok Sabha Elections