Kollam , 19 Dec (H.S.):The Kollam Vigilance Court will deliver its ruling today on a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking certified copies of key documents related to the Sabarimala gold plating case.

The ED has requested access to the FIR, remand reports, witness statements from the accused and others, and documents seized during the investigation. According to the agency, these records are essential for examining suspected financial irregularities and for tracing funds allegedly generated through the misappropriation involved in the gold plating project.

During the hearing, the prosecution acknowledged that sharing the documents posed no issue. However, it stressed that the ED must limit its probe strictly to offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Expanding the investigation into other criminal aspects, the prosecution argued, could adversely affect the ongoing inquiry.

The ED’s counsel maintained that its request is confined to investigating the financial trail, citing the inclusion of IPC Section 467 (forgery of valuable security) as a valid reason for examining the case documents.

The court’s decision later today is expected to determine the extent to which the ED may obtain access to the investigation records and define the scope of its probe into the gold plating controversy.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman