Thiruvananthapuram: The Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram, on Tuesday, dismissed the bail applications of 15 accused in the case related to the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials during a raid at the rented residence of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The court had examined the digital evidence before reserving its verdict on the bail pleas.

Earlier, the state government replaced Geena Kumari as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case with A Santhosh Kumar. The decision came after Geena Kumari faced criticism for having failed to oppose the bail plea of Harish Kumar, the ninth accused in the case.

Harish Kumar was subsequently granted bail. In the order, Sessions Judge Nazeera S observed that although the stick allegedly used in the offence had not been recovered, the Special Public Prosecutor had submitted that Harish's continued custody was not necessary as the investigation had progressed substantially.

The case stems from the assault on ED officials and police personnel during a raid at the residence of Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan on May 27. The ED was conducting searches as part of a money laundering investigation linked to CMRL involving Vijayan's daughter, Veena T. Following the incident, police registered cases against around 300 identifiable persons, alleging that they had formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons.

The ED has maintained that the attack was premeditated and not spontaneous. During the bail proceedings, the investigating officer informed the court that statements of witnesses had been recorded and that most of the weapons allegedly used in the attack had been recovered.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court recently disposed of a public interest litigation seeking a CBI probe into the attack, after taking note of the State government's report stating there had been "satisfactory progress in the investigation."

The case has been registered at the Museum Police Station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. According to the police, investigators have collected scientific, forensic, photographic and videographic evidence from the scene, including glass fragments, soil samples and other material objects. Police have also issued notices to several media organisations seeking video footage of the incident, while more than 40 witnesses have been examined as part of the investigation.