Mon Aug 25 19:51:39 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The Kerala High Court granted bail to Liviya Jose, accused of conspiring to falsely implicate Sheela Sunny in a drug case. Jose and another person allegedly planted fake LSD stamps in Sunny’s scooter and then informed excise officials. Sunny was arrested and spent 72 days in custody before the stamps were found to be harmless. Jose was arrested in June and has been in custody since then. The court granted bail, noting Jose’s age, the time she already spent in custody, and the fact that the other accused was released on similar grounds (failure to properly communicate the grounds for arrest). The court criticized excise personnel for arresting Sunny without proper investigation of the seized material.

**News Article:**

**Kerala High Court Grants Bail in False Implication Drug Case, Raps Excise Officials**

**KOCHI, August 26, 2025** – The Kerala High Court has granted bail to Liviya Jose, a 21-year-old from Kalady, who was accused of conspiring to falsely implicate Sheela Sunny of Chalakudy in a narcotics case. The Excise Range Office, Chalakudy, registered the case based on allegations that Jose and another individual planted stamps resembling LSD on Sunny’s scooter and then alerted excise officials.

Sunny was subsequently arrested and held in custody for 72 days. However, chemical analysis later revealed that the stamps were not, in fact, prohibited narcotics. Jose, arrested in June, has remained in custody until the court’s decision.

Jose’s counsel argued that the grounds for her arrest were not properly communicated to her or her family. The public prosecutor countered, stating that the grounds were indeed communicated at the time of arrest.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, presiding over the bench, granted bail citing Jose’s age, the two months she had already served in custody, and the previous release of the first accused due to improper communication of arrest grounds.

In a stinging rebuke, the court criticized excise personnel for arresting Sunny without first conducting an independent investigation or appraisal of the seized material. This incident raises serious questions about the protocols followed by excise officials in drug-related arrests within the state.

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