The Kerala Cabinet will likely examine whether the government is on safe legal and administrative ground to consider possible action against former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) M.R. Ajith Kumar. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the United Democratic Front (UDF) government had accused the ranking officer of leading an entrenched effort during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) to “sabotage” the police investigation against the then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s personal security detail, which the Congress, then in the Opposition, had accused of “unjustifiably assaulting” Youth Congress black flag protesters in Alappuzha in November 2023. AG’s legal opinionAccording to officials, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has received the SIT’s latest report, which State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar recently vetted. His office said Mr. Chennithala has also sought legal opinion from the Advocate General. The details of the SIT report, supposedly documenting the alleged machinations at the apex level of the police to wreck the police probe against the plainclothes team providing proximate security to Mr. Vijayan, remained secret. Officials said they were not at liberty to state whether the SIT had pinned any criminal culpability on Mr. Ajith Kumar or any other supervisory officer in the law enforcement chain of command during the previous LDF administration.Mr. Chennithala’s office was also tight-lipped about whether the AG has recommended any definite course of punitive action, including criminal prosecution, for allegedly tampering with inculpatory evidence, obstructing the investigation, and seeking to influence witnesses with a view to insulating alleged wrongdoers from criminal jeopardy. Officials said the government has set no definitive deadline for arriving at a decision in the matter, despite pressure from within the Congress and from the party workers injured in the incident, including A.D. Thomas, MLA, and Aloysius Xavier. AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, MP, had also stated that the UDF government viewed the “attack on democratic protesters” seriously. Centre’s concurrenceThe proposed action against Mr. Ajith Kumar primarily hinges on the SIT’s damning filing in a court in Alappuzha. The SIT appointed by the UDF government had claimed that it came across a series of instances of brazen subversion of law, including“framing of incorrect records, suppression and substitution of evidence” on the part of “previous investigating and supervisory officers” to “shield the accused from prosecution and disciplinary action.” The court filing reportedly did not name any officer. However, it was unclear whether the SIT’s latest report submitted to Mr. Chandrasekhar named Mr. Ajith Kumar an accused or respondent in the case. Officials said any action against Mr. Ajith Kumar would require the concurrence of the Union government as per All India Service Rules. Moreover, the Home department would require the ranking officer to answer the charges before proceeding further. Published - July 17, 2026 08:12 pm IST