ORDER :

1. The petitioner is Accused No. 15 in the case C.C. No. 18/2016 on the file of the Court of the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, Thalassery.

2. The offences alleged against the accused in the above case are punishable under Sections 7, 9, 12 and 13(1) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (for short ‘the Act’) and also under Sections 211, 465, 468, 471, 201 and 120B read with 109 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

3. The persons initially arrayed as Accused 1 to 16 in the case were members of the Director Board of the District Cooperative Bank, Kasaragod (for short ‘the Bank’) Accused No. 17 was the General Manager, Accused No. 18 was the Superintendent of B-Section and Accused No. 19 was the Executive Officer of the Bank. The petitioner, who now figures as Accused No. 15 in the case, was initially arrayed as Accused No. 18.

4. The prosecution case is that the accused had hatched a conspiracy to manipulate the recruitment process conducted in the Bank for appointment of persons to the posts of Clerk, Typist and Peon and pursuant to such conspiracy, they committed forgery of documents, obtained illegal gratification from the candidates and influe