A significant development has unfolded in Kerala as a revision petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court, contesting the refusal of a vigilance court to order an investigation into allegations of bribery and misuse of power involving high-ranking public officials in the state. The accused individuals include Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and his daughter, Veena Thaikandiyilin, in the case titled “Gireesh Babu v State of Kerala & Anr.”
These corruption allegations revolve around Cochin Mineral and Rutile Ltd. (CMRL), touching upon its mining and other business interests.
The Special Judge (Vigilance) in Muvattupuzha, on August 26, rejected the plea for an investigation, citing a lack of a prima facie case against the accused officials. The vigilance court maintained that the petitioner, Gireesh Babu, had made general allegations without providing sufficient material facts to substantiate the claims.
In response, Babu has taken his case to the Kerala High Court through a revision petition, contesting the vigilance court’s decision.
In his revision petition, presented by advocate BA Aloor, Babu reiterates that all the accused parties misused their official positions and caused a loss to public revenue. He asserts that a strong prima facie case has been established on this front, contradicting the findings of the vigilance court.
“The accused in the complaint have misused their official capacity and powers in order to get illegal gratification and in exchange for monetary advantages, thereby the actions of all accused persons in the complaint come within the purview under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,” the petition further emphasizes.
Babu contends that the vigilance court dismissed his complaint without giving due consideration to the case’s facts and circumstances. Consequently, he appeals to the Kerala High Court to annul the vigilance court’s ruling and instruct the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to initiate an inquiry into the accused individuals, including Chief Minister Vijayan and his daughter.
The original petition filed before the vigilance court stemmed from an Income Tax report that alleged an “illegal payment” of ₹1.72 crores made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions Private Limited, an IT firm owned by Veena, the Chief Minister’s daughter. Babu claimed that Veena received the money from CMRL as consideration for granting it an unjust advantage. The corruption allegations extended to other high-ranking public officials, including the Leader of the Opposition, Ramesh Chennithala, and various politicians, including Kunjali Kutty, VK Ibrahim Kunju, and A Govindan.
Babu’s complaint also highlighted findings from the Interim Board for Settlement-II, New Delhi, indicating that the accused parties had committed offenses under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Referring to the alleged ₹1.72 crore payment by CMRL to Exalogic Solution, Babu underscored that Settlement Board-II labeled this transaction as bogus since Veena’s firm did not provide any services to CMRL.