(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) SC questions Chandy govts motive behind winding up the case googletag.After the Titanium graft case the 23-year-old palmolein import case has returned to haunt Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday with the Supreme Court questioning the motive behind his government’s decision to wind up the case.
A division bench headed by Justice T K Thakur wondered whether the government had decided to withdraw the case with the ulterior motive of preventing scrutiny of Chandy’s role in the import of 15000 tonnes of palmolein from Malayasia in 1991 in violation of norms.
The court was considering a petition filed by opposition leader V S Achuthanandan challenging the high court stay on a vigilance court order dismissing the government’s plea to withdraw the case and seeking a fresh probe into the role of Chandy who was finance minister when the government headed by late K Karunakaran decided to go for the import.
While agreeing with the petitioner’s plea for a probe the court expressed suspicion about a probe by any state agency and asked government counsel V Giri whether it was not proper to entrust the probe with a federal agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court observed that the probe by any agency under the chief minister may not bring out the truth.
The court noted that the decision to withdraw the case was taken at the meeting of the cabinet headed by Chandy. If he had no ulterior motive in the withdrawal of the case he could have abstained from the meeting.
The court has directed the state high court to dispose of the petition pending before it within three months. Reacting to the verdict Chandy said that he was ready to face probe by any agency. He said the probe by the police under Achuthanandan as well as his predecessor E K Naynar had not found him responsible for any lapse in the import.
Chandy told reporters at Calicut that the investigating team on both the occasion had made him only a witness in the case. He said that his cabinet had decided to withdraw the case after the high court rejected Achuthanandan’s plea to make him an accused in the case.
The Supreme Court had also rejected a similar plea by Achuthanandan in 2012. The opposition leader had approached the court saying as a finance minister Chandy did not take any steps to prevent the ‘illegal’ import of palmolein.
He made the fresh plea for probe based on the discharge petition filed by former food minister T H Mustafa an accused in the case saying he deserved the same clean chit Chandy got in the case as the role played by him in deciding about the import of palmolein at a higher price was similar to that of Chandy.
The state government had pointed out that it had decided to withdraw the case as it was politically motivated and had resulted in persecution and harassment of several top Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials as well as other prominent political leaders.
While P J Thomas had to quit the post of the Central Vigilance Commissioner Jiji Thomson was denied promotion due to the case pending against them. Thomas was State Civil Supplies Commissioner while Jiji managing director of the Civil Supplies Corporation when the palmolein was imported.
The government had also argued that the import had not caused any loss to the state exchequer. However vigilance Judge K Haripal rejected the government argument holding that the withdrawal of the case was against public interest and social justice.
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