Governor-CM tussle set to intensify in Kerala
The governor insisted that the anti-national activity of the chief minister was a serious matter and that he would report it to the President.
Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case, was on Thursday granted bail by the Taliparamba Judicial Magistrate Court in the defamation case filed against her by CPI-M state general secretary MV Govindan.
Swapna Suresh, who had repeatedly failed to appear in court despite multiple summons, presented herself on the day following a warrant.
The case pertains to a Facebook live session wherein Swapna alleged that Govindan had offered her Rs 30 crore through Vijesh Pillai to retract the allegations against the Chief Minister and his family in the gold smuggling case.
Advertisement
Govindan subsequently filed a defamation complaint in court, asserting that the accusation tarnished both his and the Chief Minister’s reputation.
In the Facebook live session, Swapna claimed that she was promised Rs 30 crore through an intermediary to retract her accusations in the gold smuggling case, in which she is the prime accused.
Swapna alleged that a Kannur native, Vijesh Pillai, acting on behalf of MV Govindan, approached her with the deal.
In his plea, Govindan has sought Rs 1 crore in damages. He also wanted Swapna to withdraw the allegations.
The court has scheduled the next hearing of the case on June 26.
The police registered a case against Swapna based on a complaint filed by the CPI-M area secretary in this regard.
Advertisement
