Court orders further probe against Mani, rejects report

Court orders further probe against Mani, rejects report

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 09:20 PM IST
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There are allegations that Finance Minister K M Mani (in pic) received a bribe of Rs 1 crore for reopening the closed liquor bars

Thiruvananthapuram : Ahead of the local body elections, widely seen as a dress rehearsal for Assembly elections due in May 2016, a vigilance court here on Thursday dealt a big blow to Kerala’s Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government by reopening the bar bribery case.

The case, sought to be wound up by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), came alive in the campaign front after vigilance judge John K Illikkadan rejected the closure report that gave Finance Minister K M Mani a clean chit and ordered further probe into the charge that he received a bribe of Rs 1 crore for reopening the closed liquor bars.

Disposing 11 petitions, including that of leader of the opposition V S Achuthanandan and whistleblower Biju Ramesh, filed against the report, the judge directed the government to entrust the investigation with the original investigating officer in the case, R Sukesan, who found sufficient evidence to file a charge sheet against the minister.

Adding discomfiture to the state government, Vigilance Director Vincent M Paul, who let off Mani, proceeded to go on leave urging the government to relieve him from the position. He claimed that he had acted strictly in accordance with the law, which demands concrete evidence to prove that a person had demanded and received a bribe to proceed against him in a corruption case.

However, the opposition parties have termed the rejection of the report by the court as a vindication of the investigating officer’s finding that there was a prima facie case against Mani and demanded the immediate resignation of the minister. The BJP and the CPI-M have additionally demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy as well as Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.

The CPI-M, which heads the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), has already launched an agitation to press for their demand. The CPI-M kicked off the agitation by taking out a procession to the state secretariat soon after the court verdict.

The finance minister has rejected the demand for his resignation, saying that the court had only ordered further investigation and not found him guilty.

He pointed out that courts had ordered several such investigations against chief ministers and ministers in the past and none had resigned. He welcomed the investigation, saying it would bring out the truth.

The chief minister and the home minister also backed him saying that the court order could be considered as part of the legal process.

The home minister pointed out that the government had never interfered with the investigation in the case and the further investigation will also be conducted similarly.

The court verdict has come as a major weapon in the hands of the opposition to sharpen the attack on the government in the local body elections, which are just four days away.

However, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V M Sudheeran and his party colleagues say it will not have any impact on the election. They pointed out that the opposition’s attempt to make the case as a major issue in the Aruvikkara by-election in June this year had failed miserably. The UDF won the poll comfortably.

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