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Kerala land scam: IAS body petitions Chandy
The Kerala IAS Officers’ Association on Saturday conveyed to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy its protest against inclusion of four senior officials in the list of accused in a Vigilance case related to the alleged corruption and nepotism in the allotment of land by the former LDF government to a relative of then chief minister VS Achuthanandan.
The act of naming senior IAS officials as accused in cases related to government decisions would affect the morale of the higher bureaucracy, the association said in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister. It also requested Chandy to initiate measures to end the difficulties being faced by IAS officials on occasions where they had to obey ministerial orders.
As per the first information report registered in the land allotment case by the Vigilance in a court in Kozhikode, four of the eight accused were senior IAS officials. Achuthanandan himself was the first accused while former Revenue Minister KP Rajendran of the CPI was the second accused.
The four senior IAS officials named as accused in the FIR were Sheila Thomas, principal secretary to Achuthanandan when he was chief minister, former Land Revenue Commissioner KR Muraleedharan and Anand Singh and Krishnan Kutty, former district collectors of Kasaragod where 2.33 acres of land was allotted to a relative of Achuthanandan.
In the memorandum submitted to Chandy, the association said that Sheila Thomas had been made an accused in the case despite the fact that she had nothing to with the land allotment. The other three civil service officials also were innocent as they were not responsible for any decision the government took, the association said.
It requested the Chief Minister to resuscitate the now-defunct screening committee meant for examining complaints against IAS officials. The committee had reportedly gone out of function during the 2006-11 LDF rule. The association complained that most senior IAS officials were under immense work pressure as they had to look after the affairs of more departments than one.
The case pertains to the allotment of 2.33 acres of land in Kasaragod district to Achuthanandan’s relative TK Soman, an ex-serviceman hailing from Alappuzha district, towards the fag-end of the LDF’s rule.
Achuthanandan has been accused of going out of the way to allot the land to his relative on the basis of a scheme for giving land to ex-servicemen. The allegations are that 2.33 acres of land was allotted to Soman while there was a one-acre ceiling for allotment to ex-servicemen and he was given the right to transfer the land in violation of the stipulations.
Meanwhile, bringing more worries to Achuthanandan, the Assembly committee looking into the allegations against his son VA Arun Kumar has asked him to appear before it on February 14. Achuthanandan had so far avoided this by saying that he would not be free till the second week of February due to the CPI(M) conferences.
The Assembly secretary had already served a notice to Achuthanandan requesting him to appear before the committee. Former Education minister MA Baby also has been asked to appear before the panel, which has already recorded interviewed Arun Kumar, and several others.
The Kerala IAS Officers’ Association on Saturday conveyed to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy its protest against inclusion of four senior officials in the list of accused in a Vigilance case related to the alleged corruption and nepotism in the allotment of land by the former LDF government to a relative of then chief minister VS Achuthanandan.
The act of naming senior IAS officials as accused in cases related to government decisions would affect the morale of the higher bureaucracy, the association said in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister. It also requested Chandy to initiate measures to end the difficulties being faced by IAS officials on occasions where they had to obey ministerial orders.
As per the first information report registered in the land allotment case by the Vigilance in a court in Kozhikode, four of the eight accused were senior IAS officials. Achuthanandan himself was the first accused while former Revenue Minister KP Rajendran of the CPI was the second accused.
The four senior IAS officials named as accused in the FIR were Sheila Thomas, principal secretary to Achuthanandan when he was chief minister, former Land Revenue Commissioner KR Muraleedharan and Anand Singh and Krishnan Kutty, former district collectors of Kasaragod where 2.33 acres of land was allotted to a relative of Achuthanandan.
In the memorandum submitted to Chandy, the association said that Sheila Thomas had been made an accused in the case despite the fact that she had nothing to with the land allotment. The other three civil service officials also were innocent as they were not responsible for any decision the government took, the association said.
It requested the Chief Minister to resuscitate the now-defunct screening committee meant for examining complaints against IAS officials. The committee had reportedly gone out of function during the 2006-11 LDF rule. The association complained that most senior IAS officials were under immense work pressure as they had to look after the affairs of more departments than one.
The case pertains to the allotment of 2.33 acres of land in Kasaragod district to Achuthanandan’s relative TK Soman, an ex-serviceman hailing from Alappuzha district, towards the fag-end of the LDF’s rule.
Achuthanandan has been accused of going out of the way to allot the land to his relative on the basis of a scheme for giving land to ex-servicemen. The allegations are that 2.33 acres of land was allotted to Soman while there was a one-acre ceiling for allotment to ex-servicemen and he was given the right to transfer the land in violation of the stipulations.
Meanwhile, bringing more worries to Achuthanandan, the Assembly committee looking into the allegations against his son VA Arun Kumar has asked him to appear before it on February 14. Achuthanandan had so far avoided this by saying that he would not be free till the second week of February due to the CPI(M) conferences.
The Assembly secretary had already served a notice to Achuthanandan requesting him to appear before the committee. Former Education minister MA Baby also has been asked to appear before the panel, which has already recorded interviewed Arun Kumar, and several others.
