Monson Mavunkal Case: IG Lakshman Files Quashing Plea Before Kerala High Court

Kerala's Inspector General of Police, Gugulloth Lakshman, has approached the High Court seeking to quash the case registered against him for his alleged involvement in Monson Mavunkal cheating case.

Single Judge Bench of Justice Rajavijayaraghavan V. has directed the Public Prosecutor to take instructions.

A case against the controversial antique dealer was registered on September 23, 2021, on the complaint of certain persons alleging cheating of Rs. 10 Crores on the false promise to return the amount. It was also alleged that the accused had deceived the complainants by showing them false statements on his account.

IG Lakshman has been accused of offences punishable under Sections 468 ('Forgery for purpose of cheating'), 471 ('Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 420 ('Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), and 120B ('Punishment of criminal conspiracy'), read with Section 34 IPC.  

Member of Parliament and President of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, K. Sudhakaran, had also been named as an accused, and had earlier approached the High Court for anticipatory bail in the matter. The Court has granted him interim anticipatory bail for a period of two weeks. 

In the present plea, IG Lakshman has averred that the 'uncontroverted allegations in the FIR' does not constitute any offence against him. He submitted that neither the statement of the witnesses nor the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team had yielded any evidence against the petitioner at the time. 

"The petitioner is cent percent sure that he will come out with colours in the allegations levelled against him in the Monson Mavungal case. Nowhere in the allegations levelled against the petitioner in the disciplinary proceedings, criminal intention and motive were attributed," the plea states. 

The petitioner claims that he was falsely implicated in the case without any evidence pointing to his guilt. 

The petitioner avers that the victims in the Monson Mavunkal case had initially filed a petition before the Chief Minister of Kerala, wherein there had not been any mention of the petitioner's name. 

He further claims that there is an "extra ordinary constitutional authority" functioning in the Chief Minister's Office who is dealing with, compromising, mediating, and arbitrating some of the financial dealings in the State. The petitioner states that some of the disputes sent by the High Court to various arbitrators were resolved by the said authority. "That invisible hands and extra constitutional brain is operating behind the curtain and commanding the 2nd respondent ( ) for doing this kind of illegal activities," the plea further states. 

The plea has been moved through Advocates Noble Mathew and Sangeetha S. Nair. 

Case Title: Gugulloth Lakshman IPS v. State of Kerala & Anr. 

Case Number: Crl. M.C. 5879 of 2023