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HC asks Kerala reply on Chandy hand in oil scam
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the State Government asking it to submit an affidavit in response to a petition filed by Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan challenging the vigilance court’s order accepting a probe report exonerating Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the sensational palm oil import corruption case of 1991-92.
The High Court has asked the Kerala Government to submit the affidavit within a week. Justice SS Sathishchandran of the High Court will take up Achuthanandan’s petition after that. Former bureaucrat Alphonse Kannanthanam has also submitted a similar petition.
The Special Vigilance Court in Thrissur had issued an order on May 24 accepting the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau’s report on the scam which said there was no evidence of involvement of Chandy in the palm oil import deal. Achuthanandan has approached the Vigilance Court seeking rejection of the report but his prayer was turned down.
The Opposition leader’s petition says that Chandy could not be exempted from the case, as he was the Finance Minister in the then Cabinet headed by K Karunakaran when the controversial palm oil import took place. It argues that Chandy had not opposed the deal even though he knew that the palm oil agent was charging a 15-per cent commission.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the import of 15,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia during 1991-92, causing a loss of Rs 2.32 crore to the State Exchequer. Former Food Minister TH Musthaffa, former Chief Secretary S Padmakumar and ex-director of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Jiji Thomson were among the accused in the case.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the State Government asking it to submit an affidavit in response to a petition filed by Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan challenging the vigilance court’s order accepting a probe report exonerating Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the sensational palm oil import corruption case of 1991-92.
The High Court has asked the Kerala Government to submit the affidavit within a week. Justice SS Sathishchandran of the High Court will take up Achuthanandan’s petition after that. Former bureaucrat Alphonse Kannanthanam has also submitted a similar petition.
The Special Vigilance Court in Thrissur had issued an order on May 24 accepting the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau’s report on the scam which said there was no evidence of involvement of Chandy in the palm oil import deal. Achuthanandan has approached the Vigilance Court seeking rejection of the report but his prayer was turned down.
The Opposition leader’s petition says that Chandy could not be exempted from the case, as he was the Finance Minister in the then Cabinet headed by K Karunakaran when the controversial palm oil import took place. It argues that Chandy had not opposed the deal even though he knew that the palm oil agent was charging a 15-per cent commission.
The case relates to alleged irregularities in the import of 15,000 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia during 1991-92, causing a loss of Rs 2.32 crore to the State Exchequer. Former Food Minister TH Musthaffa, former Chief Secretary S Padmakumar and ex-director of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Jiji Thomson were among the accused in the case.
