Kerala HC says no to arrest industrialist Sabu Jacob

KOCHI: In a major relief to industrialist Sabu M.Jacob, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday said the police should not arrest him in a case registered for allegedly humiliating CPI(M) legislator P.V. Sreenijin.

The case was registered against Jacob and others under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on a complaint by the legislator.

The court, while pointing out that there was no need for an arrest, Jacob and others can be questioned by the police after serving them the notice as prescribed by the law.

Jacob is also the chief coordinator of Twenty20, a local political outfit in the Ernakulam district, which presently rules in four village councils in the district, and they and Srinijin have been at loggerheads.

Jacob and others submitted that the legislator’s complaint did not have the essential ingredient of an offence under the SC/ST Act.

The complaint of the legislator was that since he hailed from a lower caste, he was being boycotted by Jacob and his political outfit, but the court ruled otherwise.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the court posted the case filed by Jacob and others to quash the FIR in the case to be taken up after the Christmas break of the court.

Jacob and the CPI(M) have not been on good terms for some time. Last year he sprang a surprise when he decided to invest over Rs 3,000 crore in Telangana and was invited by the Telangana government which brought him to Hyderabad on a chartered flight.