Lawyers shouldn’t allow clients to pollute judicial system: Kerala High Court

The order added that the material on record clearly revealed that the man had been using his account as a money mule. 

M A Abdul Hakhim directed police to register an FIR against the man under Section 111 of the BNS over bank mule account case.

Story behind Rs 21 lakh freeze 

The 22-year-old man approached the court seeking a direction to unfreeze his Federal Bank account. The bank stated that it had received five requests from law enforcement agencies to freeze/debit-freeze the account for a total of Rs 21 lakh.

The bank alleged that the man had opened his account in January 2023 and had remained largely inactive initially. However, from May 15, 2023, there was a sudden increase in activity, with transactions worth more than Rs.50 lakh routed through the account within 15 days. 

The bank stated that the abrupt change in the transaction pattern, inconsistent with the earlier operation of the account, coupled with the receipt of multiple Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) notices in connection with these transactions, rendered the account activity highly suspicious 

The man claimed that he was a working partner of two businesses, and that he receives a monthly salary of Rs 35,000 and share of profits from Ripi Foods, which is a wholesale business dealing in dates, nuts, and dry fruits, and he receives a salary of Rs 40,000 and business profit from Nipolta Media – LED Wall and media-related business.

Advocates Sadiqali M, Shamnad E, Ajish K Bose, Mohamed Shafi M and Muhammad Sabik, appearing for the man, submitted that the bank should allow him to operate the account while keeping the Rs 21 lakh lien intact.

The bank said that the man had withdrawn the entire amounts credited to his account and the credit balance as on June 5, 2023 was only Rs 1.

The counsel argued that he gets his income from businesses and that the customers regularly credit amounts in the account as part of normal business operations. It was also contended that his father is employed in a Gulf Country and occasionally sends family funds to his bank account.

Falsehood exposed

This court said that it strongly condemns the conduct of the counsel for the accused man and strongly deprecates the practice of advocates attesting affidavits of their clients fully knowing that the statements contained in the affidavit are false. 

The court said that the man had no explanation for the credit of large amounts in his Account within a short span, and the documents that were produced before the court would reveal that he had stated utter falsehood.