In a special session of the Kerala Assembly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday tabled the report on the sensational solar scam and also the action taken report on it.
The Chief Minister said that Justice G Sivarajan Commission, which probed the scam, found that former CM Oommen Chandy and his personal staff had helped Saritha S Nair, the prime accused in the scam.
The former Home Minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan and the Special Investigation Team, who had probed the case, had helped Chandy and his staff escape the criminal procedures in the case.
“The Commission had also found that former Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed had also helped Team Solar, a company owned by one of the accused in the case. The former SIT had not done a deep investigation into some of the evidence and the connections that one of the accused had with political leaders and officials. Some former ministers and former legislators like Thampanoor Ravi and Benny Behanan had tried to compromise the criminal cases against Oommen Chandy,” he said.
A probe will be conducted against those whose names have been mentioned in the letter written by Saritha S Nair in July 2013. A probe will also be conducted against those who lent help to her and those who had received sexual favours from her.
The CM said that an investigation based on sections of the Indian Penal Code and The Prevention of Corruption Act will be conducted against those who had helped to distort evidence, helped Team Solar, and those who had received various kinds of favours from Saritha.
He said:
The government had ordered dissolving the former Special Investigation Team and the new SIT led by ADGP Rajesh Dewan has come into force. New evidences, new records or new complaints, if any, will also be investigated by the teamPinarayi Vijayan
The CM, in a press meet on 11 October, had named several political leaders from the opposition United Democratic Front led by the Congress, while announcing a fresh probe into the scam. But in the Assembly, the CM didn’t mention the name of Oommen Chandy.
The Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala questioned the move by the chief minister, who had announced the findings of the commission in a press meet before tabling it in the Assembly. He even alleged that changes were later made in the commission’s report in favour of the ruling front. Chennithalla alleged:
Officials of the Home department visited the commission after he handed over the report to the government. Why did they do so?
The CM countered the point saying that the commission had been appointed by the former UDF government only.
The special session of the Assembly was convened after the Opposition’s clamour that the report should be tabled in the Assembly. The Assembly was adjourned after the proceedings.
The state government, the Left Democratic Front led by the CPI (M), on October 11 had announced a probe by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau against Oommen Chandy. The cabinet on that day had also decided to register a criminal case against Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan.
It was also decided to register a sexual assault case against several Congress leaders and leader of Kerala Congress (M), Jose K Mani, whose names were featured in a letter written by Saritha S Nair.
The case relates to the swindling of lakhs from several people by Saritha S Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan after promising to set up solar panels.
Saritha S Nair has been linked to many influential names in the state for allegedly receiving money and sexual favours.
(This article was originally published in The News Minute.)
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