Kerala court acquits UDF MLA Mani C Kappan in cheating case

A special court in Ernakulam, which handles criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, acquitted United Democratic Front (UDF) MLA Mani C Kappan on Thursday in a cheating case.

The case was based on a complaint filed by Dinesh Menon, who alleged that Kappan had borrowed Rs 2 crore from him in 2010 but had only repaid Rs 25 lakh.

In 2013, both parties entered into an agreement under which Kappan committed to repaying Rs 3.25 crore in instalments. As part of the deal, he allegedly issued post-dated cheques and pledged property as security. However, the cheques were dishonoured, and Menon later discovered that the pledged property had already been mortgaged to a bank.

Following Menon’s complaint, Kappan was charged under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 417 (cheating), and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.

After hearing the case, the court ruled in Kappan’s favour, clearing him of all charges.