Kerala govt replaces prosecutor in ED assault case amid bail row, appoints special public prosecutor

The Kerala government on Sunday (June 28, 2026) appointed senior advocate A. Santhosh Kumar as the special public prosecutor in the case related to the alleged assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials following the recent raid at the residence of Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram.

The appointment comes amid controversy over the prosecution procedure after the ninth accused, Harish Kumar, a worker of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), was granted bail. The result prompted the Thiruvananthapuram city police to seek the removal of the current public prosecutor T. Geena Kumari, whose conduct in the bail proceedings has come under intense scrutiny.

Police claimed they failed to effectively oppose the bail application, despite a detailed report recommending it be refused. According to official sources, the report listing 13 reasons for refusing bail was not sufficiently submitted to the court. He further claims that the prosecutor argued that the custodial interrogation was unnecessary, which allegedly facilitated the granting of bail to the ninth accused.

Subsequently, Museum Station House Officer (SHO) R. Prashanth met the Director General of Public Prosecutions and submitted the case diary along with a report detailing the alleged lapses during the bail proceedings. Based on the established facts, the government decided to entrust the prosecution to a special public prosecutor.

The appointment also assumes significance as the bail applications of the other accused in the case are scheduled to be heard in the Thiruvananthapuram District and Sessions Court in the coming days. Officials fear that the bail granted to the ninth accused could affect the consideration of similar applications filed by the remaining accused.

The state is considering an appeal

The state government is also considering filing an appeal in the Kerala High Court against the bail order.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala confirmed that steps are being taken to appoint a special public prosecutor while speaking to the media in Alappuzha earlier in the day. He said the government could not accept any circumstance under which the prosecutor could be said to have facilitated the bail of the accused. “We are considering how to remove the public prosecutor who allegedly colluded to facilitate bail for the accused,” he added.

Published – 28 Jun 2026 21:36 IST