Clarion India
NEW DELHI — The Special Court for Money Laundering cases in Kerala on Friday granted bail to Campus Front of India (CFI) national secretary Rauf Sheriff jailed on accusations of money laundering. The case against him is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.
However, according to The New Indian Express, Rauf is unlikely to execute the bail as he may be arrested by Uttar Pradesh police in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against Malayali journalist Siddique Kappan and three others who were on way to meet the family of Hathras gang-rape victim.
The Special Court in Kochi also denied permission to the ED to transfer the custody of Rauf to the Special Court in Lucknow.
According to the report, the court permitted bail against a bond of Rs five lakh, two solvent sureties, directed him to surrender his passport and appear before the investigation officer whenever his presence is required.
Rauf, who hails from Anchal in Kollam, was arrested in December 2020 at Thiruvananthapuram airport when he was about to board a flight to Abu Dhabi.
Sheriff is accused along with PFI and CFI activists of collecting funds of more than Rs 1 crore which was used to fund the anti-CAA protest and Delhi riots.
Citing official sources the report said that the ED would challenge the decision of the court in Kochi at a higher court. “As the charge sheet is filed at Lucknow court which also took cognizance of it, the court in Kochi cannot grant bail to the accused at this stage. We will challenge it in the High Court soon,” an ED official was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, people close to Rauf said that they won’t be executing the bail soon. “We have challenged the UP police case at the High Court in UP. If released, UP police can record his arrest and take him to Mathura. We will wait for some more days to execute the bail,” said a person close to Rauf told the New Indian Express.
