Sports and Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan’s wife P.K. Indira plans to take legal action against those propagating fake information about her, in connection with the opening of a locker managed by her at the Kannur branch of Kerala Bank allegedly in violation of the COVID-19 protocol.
The Congress and the BJP have alleged that the urgency shown by Ms. Indira in opening the locker by violating the COVID-19 protocol raised suspicions. It was alleged that she opened the bank locker shortly after the Central agencies launched an investigation into photographs showing her son with Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case, emerged in the public domain.
Sources close to the Minister’s family told The Hindu that Ms. Indira had decided to challenge the allegations and take legal action against those propagating false information against her.
“She was at the bank to take one sovereign gold to gift on her grandchild’s birthday. This was two days before the Central agency launched an investigation,” the source said.
‘Charge baseless’
The allegation that she violated the COVID-19 protocol was baseless. She was not in quarantine when she visited the bank. The allegation was politically motivated, he added.
Ms. Indira, who retired as a senior manager from the same branch, reportedly went to the bank on September 10 afternoon while she was under quarantine after submitting for samples for COVID-19 tests.
Ms. Indira was later hospitalised after the samples returned positive. Three persons, including a gold appraiser, an employee who handles fixed deposits and the manager who went with Indira to open the locker, are also now in quarantine.
