Kerala High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail To Woman Cop Accused Of Misappropriating ₹20 Lakh Collected As Traffic Fine

The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Santhy Krishnan, woman Civil Police Officer (CPO) who was the former writer in the Traffic Enforcement Unit Muvattupuzha, accused of misappropriating over ₹20 Lakh between 2009 to 2021 collected by traffic cops as fine. The court denied the bail after noting that a "prima facie" case was established against the petitioner, and that no exceptional circumstances had been made out by her to grant of anticipatory bail. The FIR was filed under IPC Sections 465(Punishment for forgery), 468(Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471(Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) and 420(cheating) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Justice A. Badharudeen in his order said:"On perusal of the case diary...it is discernible that the prosecution allegation as to misappropriation of Rs.20,90,750/- (Rupees Twenty Lakh Ninety Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty only) by the accused as alleged by the prosecution is well established prima facie and, her Bank Statement also would fortify the allegations. During investigation, many materials collected including the statements of the Bank officials, as discussed hereinabove, to show that it was the accused made remittance of the fine collected in the Banks...Thus, the prosecution materials would go to show that the prosecution case is well made out prima facie and in such a case, as submitted by the learned Public Prosecutor, arrest, custodial interrogation, collection of specimen signatures and handwritings of the accused and also where from she obtained this money to spend in excess of her income, are absolutely essential"The prosecution alleged that between 2015 and October 2021, the petitioner manipulated TR-5 cash books and expenditure voucher slips to deposit lesser amounts than what was collected by police officers as traffic fines, siphoning off the balance. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) claimed she misappropriated a total of ₹20,90,750 by falsifying records and concealing the discrepancy.The Petitioner's counsel argued that she was being falsely implicated due to personal grudge, stressing her status as a widow and pointing to legitimate sources of income, including property transactions and bank loans. The defence further alleged that recovery of registers, vouchers, and other documents from her residence was fabricated.However, the prosecution countered with testimonies from several senior assistants of State Bank of India branches in Muvattupuzha and Aramanappady, all of whom confirmed that Krishnan herself regularly remitted traffic fine amounts. The court also noted that her expenses, including chitty remittances in multiple financial institutions, far exceeded her declared income, thereby strengthening the prosecution's case.The high court observed that anticipatory bail in corruption cases could only be granted in exceptional circumstances, such as clear evidence of false implication or frivolous prosecution. Citing the Supreme Court's ruling in Devinder Kumar Bansal v. State of Punjab (2025 KHC 6219), the court ruled that no such circumstances existed in this case.Rejecting her plea, the high court directed Krishnan to surrender before the Investigating Officer and co-operate with the investigation. Case Title: Santhy Krishnan v State of KeralaCase No: Bail Appl. 9981/ 2025Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Ker) 522Counsel for Petitioner: K V BabuCounsel for Respondent: Rajesh A (Spl-PP, VACB), Rekha S (Sr. PP - VACB)Click Here To Read/ Download Judgment

Kerala High Court Denies Anticipatory Bail To Woman Cop Accused Of Misappropriating ₹20 Lakh Collected As Traffic Fine

Anamika MJ

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