Rajendran vs State Of Kerala

Kerala High Court

Rajendran vs State Of Kerala on 2 July, 2025

​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​           ​1​           2025:KER:47558​
                                               ​


            IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM​
            ​

                              PRESENT​
                              ​

 THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​
 ​

                                 &​
                                 ​

            THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE SYAM KUMAR V.M.​
            ​

                ND​
                ​
WEDNESDAY, THE 2​
​                   DAY OF JULY 2025 / 11TH ASHADHA,​​
                    ​                                1947​

                         WA NO. 719 OF 2025​
                         ​

            ​GAINST THE JUDGMENT DATED 20.03.2025 IN WP(C)​
            A
            NO.15956 OF 2024 OF HIGH COURT OF KERALA​
            ​

APPELLANT/PETITIONER:​
​

                ​AJENDRAN,​
                R
                AGED 63 YEARS​
                ​
                S/O MADHAVAN, RAJENDRA VILASOM, SANTHIVILA,​
                ​
                NEMOM P.O, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 020​
                ​
                (THE PRESIDENT, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DISTRICT,​
                ​
                UNEMPLOYEES SOCIAL WELFARE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY​
                ​
                LTD NO.T.1639, KILLIPPALAM,​
                ​
                THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 002)​
                ​

                ​Y ADVS.​
                B
                SRI.K.C.SANTHOSHKUMAR​
                ​
                SMT.K.K.CHANDRALEKHA​
                ​


RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS:​

​ 1​ ​ ​TATE OF KERALA,​ S REPRESENTED BY SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, HOME​ ​ DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 001.​ ​ 2​ ​ THE INSPECTOR GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​ ​2​ 2025:KER:47558​ ​ CITY POLICE OFFICE, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 001.​ ​ 3​ ​ ​HE SUB INSPECTOR OF POLICE,​ T OFFICE OF ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,​ ​ C-BRANCH, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 001.​ ​ 4​ ​ ​HE CANARA BANK,​ T POOJAPPURA (DPCD 2892),​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM-695 012,​ ​ REPRESENTED BY ITS CHIEF MANAGER.​ ​ 5​ ​ ​DDL.R5 BHUVANENDRAN NAIR,​ A AGED 69 YEARS, S/O.PADMANABHA PILLAI,​ ​ S.B.NIVAS, SANTHIVILA, WARD NO.6, KALLIYOOR,​ ​ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - 695020​ ​ [ADDL.R5 IS IMPLEADED AS PER ORDER DATED​ ​ 30.05.2024 IN I.A-2/2024 IN WP(C) 15956/2024]​ ​ ​Y ADVS.​ B SHRI.M.GOPIKRISHNAN NAMBIAR​ ​ SRI.P.MOHANDAS (ERNAKULAM)​ ​ SHRI.K.JOHN MATHAI​ ​ SRI.JOSON MANAVALAN​ ​ SRI.KURYAN THOMAS​ ​ SHRI.PAULOSE C. ABRAHAM​ ​ SHRI.RAJA KANNAN​ ​ SMT.AKHILA NAMBIAR​ ​ SRI.K.SUDHINKUMAR​ ​ SRI.SABU PULLAN​ ​ SRI.GOKUL D. SUDHAKARAN​ ​ SHRI.R.BHASKARA KRISHNAN​ ​ SHRI.BHARATH MOHAN​ ​ DR.K.P.SATHEESAN (SR.)​ ​ SRI.T.K.VIPINDAS - SR. GP​ ​ ​HIS​ ​ T WRIT​ ​ APPEAL​ ​ HAVING​ ​BEEN​ ​ FINALLY​ ​HEARD​ ​ ON​ 27.06.2025,​ ​ ​ THE​ ​ COURT​ ​ ON​ ​ 02.07.2025​ ​ DELIVERED​ ​ THE​ FOLLOWING:​ ​ ​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​ ​3​ 2025:KER:47558​ ​ ​JUDGMENT​ ​Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari, J.​ ​The​ ​present​ ​intra​ ​court​ ​appeal​ ​under​ ​Section​ ​5​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Kerala​ ​High​ ​Court​​Act,​​1958,​​assails​​the​​judgment​​dated​​20.03.2025​​passed​ ​in​ ​W.P(C)No.15956​ ​of​ ​2024,​ ​whereby​ ​the​ ​appellant/petitioner​ ​had​ ​sought​ ​a​ ​direction​ ​to​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​respondent​ ​-​ ​Bank​ ​to​ ​lift​​the​​freezing​​of​ ​the​ ​petitioner's​ ​Bank​ ​Account,​ ​has​ ​been​ ​dismissed,​ ​reserving​ ​the​ ​rights​ ​of​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​to​ ​work​ ​out​ ​his​ ​remedies,​ ​in​ ​accordance​ ​with​ ​law.​ ​2.​​The​​brief​​facts​​of​​the​​case​​are​​that​​the​​appellant​​is​​the​​holder​ ​of​ ​a​ ​Bank​ ​account​ ​with​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​respondent​ ​-​ ​Bank​ ​bearing​ ​Account​ ​No.2892101003873.​ ​The​ ​appellant​ ​is​ ​the​ ​President​ ​of​ ​Thiruvananthapuram​ ​District​ ​Un-employees​ ​Social​ ​Welfare​ ​Co-operative​ ​Society​ ​Ltd.​ ​(hereinafter​ ​referred​ ​to​ ​as​ ​'the​ ​Society'​ ​for​ ​short).​ ​The​ ​appellant​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​some​ ​other​ ​members​ ​of​ ​the​ ​society​ ​are​​arrayed​​as​​accused​​in​​several​​crimes​​for​​allegedly​​committing​​the​ ​offences​ ​punishable​ ​under​ ​Sections​ ​420,​ ​406​ ​and​ ​409​ ​read​ ​with​ ​Section​ ​34​ ​of​​the​​Indian​​Penal​​Code,​​1860,​​on​​the​​allegation​​that​​the​ ​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​ ​4​ 2025:KER:47558​ ​ ​Society​​had​​received​​fixed​​deposits​​from​​its​​depositors​​and​​refused​​to​ ​return​ ​the​ ​money.​ ​As​ ​per​ ​Ext.P2​ ​judgment,​ ​this​ ​Court​ ​directed​ ​the​ ​case​ ​to​ ​be​ ​investigated​ ​by​ ​the​ ​District​ ​Crime​ ​Branch,​ ​Thiruvananthapuram.​ ​Thereafter,​ ​Ext.P4​ ​notice​ ​has​ ​been​ ​issued​ ​by​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​respondent​ ​-​ ​Bank​ ​to​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​stating​ ​that​ ​his​ ​Bank​ ​Account​ ​has​ ​been​ ​freezed.​ ​Being​ ​aggrieved,​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​had​ ​filed​ ​the writ petition and now the present writ appeal.​ ​3.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​counsel​ ​for​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​submitted​ ​that​ ​the​ ​appellant​​is​​only​​having​​general​​supervision​​over​​the​​Society​​and​​that​ ​the​ ​action​ ​of​ ​the​ ​4th​ ​respondent​ ​-​ ​Bank​ ​is​ ​illegal.​ ​Therefore,​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​ought​ ​to​ ​have​ ​set​ ​aside​ ​the​ ​order​ ​of​ ​freezing​ ​and​​directed​​the​​4th​​respondent​​-​​Bank​​to​​unfreeze​​the​​bank​​account​ ​of the appellant.​ ​4.​​Per​​contra,​​the​​learned​​counsel​​appearing​​for​​respondents​​1​ ​to​ ​3​ ​opposed​ ​the​ ​afore​ ​prayer​​and​​submitted​​that​​the​​1st​​respondent​ ​through​ ​the​ ​competent​ ​authority​​had​​filed​​a​​report​​under​​the​​Banning​ ​of​​Unregulated​​Deposit​​Schemes​​Act,​​2019​​(hereinafter​​referred​​to​​as​ ​the​ ​'BUDS​ ​Act'​ ​for​ ​short),​ ​stating​ ​that​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​and​ ​other​ ​office​ ​bearers​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Society​ ​had​ ​collected​ ​fixed​ ​deposits​ ​from​ ​public,​ ​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​ ​5​ 2025:KER:47558​ ​ ​without​ ​getting​ ​prior​​approval​​from​​the​​competent​​Authority​​under​​the​ ​Kerala​ ​Co-operative​ ​Societies​ ​Act,​ ​1969.​ ​Several​ ​cases​ ​have​ ​been​ ​registered​​against​​the​​appellant​​and​​other​​office​​bearers​​of​​the​​Society​ ​for​ ​having​ ​misappropriated​ ​a​ ​total​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​Rs.3,80,60,956/-.​ ​The​ ​appellant​ ​and​ ​other​ ​office​ ​bearers​ ​have​ ​committed​ ​an​ ​offence​ ​under​ ​Section​ ​3​ ​read​ ​with​ ​Section​ ​21​ ​of​ ​the​ ​BUDS​ ​Act.​ ​Thereafter​ ​the​ ​competent​​Authority​​in​​exercise​​of​​its​​powers​​under​​Section​​7(3)​​of​​the​ ​BUDS​ ​Act,​ ​to​ ​safeguard​ ​the​ ​interest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​innocent​ ​depositors,​ ​has​ ​freezed​ ​the​ ​bank​ ​accounts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​members​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Society.​​Moreover​ ​the​​appellant​​has​​an​​alternative​​statutory​​remedy​​under​​Section​​18(2)​ ​of​ ​the​ ​BUDS​ ​Act.​ ​Therefore,​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​has​ ​rightly​ ​dismissed​ ​the​ ​writ​ ​petition​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​of​ ​having​ ​efficacious​ ​alternative​ ​remedy​ ​of​ ​filing​ ​an​ ​appeal​ ​which​ ​the​ ​appellant​ ​has​ ​not​ ​availed.​ ​In​ ​such​ ​a​ ​situation,​ ​this​ ​writ​ ​appeal​ ​also​ ​deserves​ ​to​ ​be​ ​dismissed.​ ​5.​ ​Heard​ ​the​ ​learned​ ​counsel​ ​for​ ​the​ ​parties​ ​and​ ​perused​ ​the​ ​records.​ ​6.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​not​ ​in​ ​dispute​ ​that​ ​the​ ​competent​ ​authority​ ​has​ ​the​ ​statutory​ ​power​ ​to​ ​freeze​​the​​accounts,​​in​​case​​the​​same​​is​​required,​ ​W.A.No​​.719 of 2025​ ​6​ 2025:KER:47558​ ​ ​in​ ​the​ ​interest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​public​ ​at​ ​large.​ ​The​ ​learned​ ​Single​ ​Judge​ ​had​ ​rightly​ ​come​ ​to​ ​the​ ​conclusion​ ​that​ ​the​ ​petitioner​ ​has​ ​alternative​ ​remedy​ ​under​ ​Section​ ​18​ ​of​ ​the​ ​BUDS​ ​Act.​ ​Therefore,​​we​​are​​of​​the​ ​considered​​opinion​​that​​there​​is​​no​​occasion​​to​​interfere​​with​​the​​order​ ​passed by the learned Single Judge.​ ​Accordingly​ ​the​ ​present​ ​writ​ ​appeal​ ​being​ ​bereft​ ​of​ ​merit​ ​and​ ​substance is hereby dismissed. No order as to costs.​ ​Sd/-​ SUSHRUT ARVIND DHARMADHIKARI​ ​ JUDGE​ ​ Sd/-​ ​ SYAM KUMAR V.M.​ ​ JUDGE​ ​ MC/30.6​ ​