The Justice G Sivarajan Judicial Commission looking into Kerala’s infamous solar scam allegedly involving former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and several other top Congress leaders on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Saritha S Nair, prime accused in the scam-linked cases, for her continuous absence at its sittings despite repeated warnings.
The commission ordered that instructions be given to the State Director General of Police to produce Saritha Nair before it by June 27 by executing the warrant. The panel took the decision to issue non-bailable warrant against her after she repeatedly failed to turn up before it to produce the documents which she claimed were with her and for cross-examination.
According to the commission, Saritha Nair, who had earlier alleged that Chandy had abused her sexually and had taken bribe from her by offering assistance in her solar energy business when he was in power, had failed to appear before the commission four times. She had also leveled similar charges to some other members of the then Chandy Cabinet and some Congress leaders.
The solar scam pertains to the duping of many persons in Kerala of several crores of rupees by Saritha Nair and her former live-in partner Biju Radhakris-hnan by promising to install highly profitable solar power projects and windmills. Both Saritha and Biju were arrested in the name of these fraudulent financial deals in 2013.
Saritha’s ‘disclosures’ against the then Chief Minister and several other Congress leaders and the surfacing of audio-recordings of phone conversations between her and two top Congress functionaries were subjects of hot discussion in the campaign for the Assembly elections held in May in which the party-led UDF suffered a huge defeat. Chandy had filed a criminal defamation case against Saritha over her charge against him.
The commission had on Wednesday made it clear that Thursday would be the last day for Saritha to appear before it to produce evidences but she skipped that also. It was in this context that the commission ordered issuance of non-bailable warrant against her, who had given different reasons each time she was absent at the sitting.
Though Thursday was the final day for Saritha to appear before the commission, she informed it at the very beginning of the sitting through her lawyer that she would not be able to appear as she was under treatment at Nagarcoil in Tamil Nadu. She sought a week’s time for appearing before the panel saying that she needed to undergo a surgery for a cyst in one of her arms.
Her counsel also submitted a medical certificate before the commission in this connection. Disallowing the application for extension, the commission even went to the extent of saying that Saritha was taking it for a ride and this could not be permitted anymore. Stating that she was citing different reasons for her absence each time, the panel said that her reason for absence last time was that her mother was unwell.
If Saritha Nair does not comply with the arrest warrant procedure citing medical condition, she would have to be examined by a medical board. If the medical board recommends treatment, she would be allowed to continue with it. Otherwise, she should be produced before the commission, as per the conditions of the warrant.