The Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected bail petition of K N Anand Kumar, who is currently in the judicial custody regarding the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund scam. K N Anand Kumar is the Chairperson of Sai Gramam Global Trust and the second accused in the fake CSR funds scam. Kumar’s bail petition was rejected by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan.

Kerala Police’s Crime Branch took Ananda Kumar, chairman of the National NGO Confederation, into custody on March 11, 2025. He was arrested in the case of allegedly cheating people by falsely promising scooters and laptops at half price using fake CSR funds.

Why was Anand Kumar denied bail?

While Anand Kumar’s lawyer cited certain health concerns during the bail proceedings, the High Court observed that medical bail is considered only if necessary treatment is unavailable within the prison facility. A detailed verdict is yet to be released.

The Kerala High Court said it cannot grant bail at this point.

“The beneficiaries in this case are poor people who are in the lower strata of society. When there was an offer that they would get their dream two-wheeler, sewing machine and other home appliances at half the rate, they blindly relied on the petitioner and the other accused and consequently paid their hard-earned money. It’s not a single instance. Thousands of people paid huge amounts and crores of rupees were collected by the accused. The Court cannot shut the eyes to the tears of these poor people. Therefore, the petitioner is not entitled to any discretionary relief at this stage,” the Kerala HC stated as reported by Live Law.

What are the allegations against Anand Kumar?

K N Anand Kumar is accused of financial dealings with the prime suspect, Ananthu Krishnan. The duo have been accused of cheating people by making fraudulent promises to give scooters, laptops, and household appliances such as sewing machines at half price, falsely claiming to use CSR funds.

Even though the Crime Branch arrested Anand Kumar in March, from the very beginning he has claimed that he is innocent and has no role in the alleged scam. A complaint filed by A Mohanan, secretary of the Kannur Seed Society, alleges that women members were cheated of Rs 2.96 crore under the false promise of delivering discounted two-wheelers through CSR funding. The case, registered in Kannur, names seven accused, including Anand Kumar, on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Who is Ananthu Krishnan?

According to the Crime Branch of Kerala Police, which is currently investigating the case, it is estimated that the collected money will come around Rs. 400-500 Crore. The Secretary of the NGO, Ananthu Krishnan is the prime accused in the case.
The NGO Confederation allegedly cheated Kisan Service Society – which was the implementing agency for the scheme used to provide various items including two- wheelers, laptops and sewing machines to people at 50% discount – of approximately Rs 34 lakh under the scheme. As per the complainant, KSS and people, who signed up for the scheme, were cheated between April and November 2024.