Kerala HC Restrains Police From Arresting Twenty20 Chief Sabu Jacob In SC/ST Act Case

The court also directed Sabu Jacob and others to appear before investigating officer when called

Kerala High Court.

Days after CPI(M) MLA PV Sreenijin filed a case against Kitex Group Chief Coordinator and Twenty20 party chief Sabu M Jacob under SC/ST Act, Kerala High Court Wednesday restrained police from arresting him. The court also directed Sabu Jacob and others to appear before investigating officer when called. The case was registered on SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by Puthencruze police.

In a tweet, news agency ANI said, "Kerala HC restrains Police from arresting Sabu M Jacob, Chief Coordinator of Kitex-group backed Twenty20 party, ally of AAP in Kerala, in a case registered under SC/ST(Prevention of Atrocities)Act. HC directed Jacob & others to appear before investigating officer as and when directed."

The case was registered on a complaint filed by CPI(M) MLA PV Sreenijin. The case was registered on SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by Puthencruze police.

— ANI (@ANI) December 14, 2022

In his complaint, the CPM leader Sreenijin alleged that Sabu Jacob and his party members didn't share a dais with him in a meeting held in August, earlier this year, because he was a Dalit. The incident of boycotting him was aimed at "insulting him" in public, Sreenijin said in a complaint.

Sabu Jacob, on the other hand, denied the allegations and said that they had decided not to share a dais with any political outfit as his party was not affiliated with any political parties or their ideologies.

Twenty20 is a political party, launched by the Kitex group, is touted as a corporate party, which was floated a little over a decade in Kerala. In 2021, the Kitex group relocated some of its factories from Kerala to Telangana, levelling allegations against the state government.