Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran, who is facing a Crime Branch probe in a cheating case involving controversial antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, said on Tuesday that he had no role in it and has accused the CPI (M)-led government of trying to “scare” opposition leaders by registering cases against them.

A day after the Crime Branch wing of the Kerala police sought Sudhakaran’s appearance before it in connection with the cheating case, the KPCC president said he would not appear before the probe team on Wednesday as he had to attend a party programme in Kozhikode. Addressing the media in nearby Aluva, the senior Lok Sabha MP said he would fight the case against him legally.

“I have no role in this case, directly or indirectly,” Sudhakaran said. KPCC chief also believes that there is a political conspiracy behind the case against him. He also attacked the CM, saying Pinarayi Vijayan will have to face the law in the cases against him.

There are cases against Vijayan but by using his power, the cases are suppressed. But they will come out today or tomorrow, the Congress veteran said. Referring to the cases registered against him and the Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, V D Satheesan, the KPCC president said if Vijayan thinks that the opposition leaders can be scared by registering cases against them, he is living in a fools’ paradise.

Sudhakaran was served a notice under CrPC Section 41 A on Friday, seeking his appearance before the crime branch team probing the case here on June 14. The crime branch decided to interrogate the KPCC president on the basis of a statement by complainants who lost their money in the cheating case that they had handed over the money to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran.

When the allegations cropped up against him two years ago, Sudhakaran denied them. The issue had snowballed into a political controversy as images of Mavunkal, along with Sudhakaran, emerged. Sudhakaran had said he had gone to Mavunkal’s residence for treatment, as the latter claimed to be a trained cosmetologist. Mavunkal had allegedly made false representations about himself and his business to various people and collected money from them. Many images of Mavunkal with senior police officers and bureaucrats of the state have surfaced. Cherthala native Mavunkal, who claims to be in possession of rare and historic antiques, was arrested by the Crime Branch in September 2021. He is facing charges of having swindled Rs 10 crore from several people. The Crime Branch move against Sudhakaran comes three days after the CPI(M)-led government ordered a vigilance probe against his party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Satheesan. That case is related to the receipt of foreign funds from abroad, for a project in Satheesan’s constituency, which allegedly violated the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).