Tweet
The Kerala High Court on Friday described as serious several points raised by Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan in his petition seeking a CBI probe into the infamous ice-cream parlour sex scandal in which State Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty of the Muslim League was allegedly involved.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice J Chelameswar and Justice PR Ramachandra Menon, which took up Achuthanandan’s petition on Friday, said that the criminal case registered on the basis of the disclosures by businessman KA Rauf, a relative of Kunhalikutty, in the sexual abuse case, had wide implications.
Observing that the petition had been filed by none less than a former Chief Minister, the judges said that the ‘wide implications’ of the case would double the court’s responsibility. The Bench also said that the entire documents related to the case had to be studied thoroughly before taking a decision on the petition. The court pointed out that the points in the petition pertained not just to a Government but to an entire system of democratic society. Rauf had “disclosed” that Kunhalikutty had made the victims and witnesses change their statements against him using money and threats and that he had earned favourable court verdicts by influencing the Judiciary. The special investigation team of the Kerala Police, which started the probe into the scandal following Rauf’s disclosures in January, submitted the case diary, action taken report, progress report of the probe and details of every step they had taken since the start of investigation, to the court in a sealed envelope through Advocate General KP Dandapani.
Arguing for the Government, Dandapani said there was no need for a CBI probe as desired by Achutha
nandan since the present investigation was on track and progressing well. He also said there was no reason to doubt the efficiency of the probe team, constituted when Achuthanandan was chief minister, as the new Government had made no change to it.
Achuthanandan had filed the petition in the High Court on September 2 seeking a CBI probe into the ice cream parlour sex scandal saying that a fair probe by Kerala Police could not be expected when the UDF was in power and the man facing the allegation, Kunhalikutty, was a powerful member of the Cabinet.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice J Chelameswar and Justice PR Ramachandra Menon, which took up Achuthanandan’s petition on Friday, said that the criminal case registered on the basis of the disclosures by businessman KA Rauf, a relative of Kunhalikutty, in the sexual abuse case, had wide implications.
Observing that the petition had been filed by none less than a former Chief Minister, the judges said that the ‘wide implications’ of the case would double the court’s responsibility. The Bench also said that the entire documents related to the case had to be studied thoroughly before taking a decision on the petition. The court pointed out that the points in the petition pertained not just to a Government but to an entire system of democratic society. Rauf had “disclosed” that Kunhalikutty had made the victims and witnesses change their statements against him using money and threats and that he had earned favourable court verdicts by influencing the Judiciary. The special investigation team of the Kerala Police, which started the probe into the scandal following Rauf’s disclosures in January, submitted the case diary, action taken report, progress report of the probe and details of every step they had taken since the start of investigation, to the court in a sealed envelope through Advocate General KP Dandapani.
Arguing for the Government, Dandapani said there was no need for a CBI probe as desired by Achutha
nandan since the present investigation was on track and progressing well. He also said there was no reason to doubt the efficiency of the probe team, constituted when Achuthanandan was chief minister, as the new Government had made no change to it.
Achuthanandan had filed the petition in the High Court on September 2 seeking a CBI probe into the ice cream parlour sex scandal saying that a fair probe by Kerala Police could not be expected when the UDF was in power and the man facing the allegation, Kunhalikutty, was a powerful member of the Cabinet.
