Even as Kerala’s beleaguered Chief Minister Oommen Chandy got a reprieve on Friday when the High Court stayed the Vigilance Court’s order for registration of an FIR against him and a Cabinet colleague over bribery charges in the solar scam, the prime accused Saritha Nair levelled fresh charges against him, saying he had urged her to create a company involving his family members including his son to do renewable energy business. Stung apparently by the HC’s strictures and recommendation for action against him, the Vigilance Court Judge, who had ordered the probe, immediately sought permission for voluntary retirement.
Judge SS Vassan of the Special Vigilance Court, Thrissur, who had on Thursday ordered registration of FIR against Chandy and Power Minister Aryadan Muhammad over the “disclosure” that they had taken bribe from solar scam perpetrator Saritha Nair, opted for voluntary retirement just minutes after the HC’s strictures came.
Justice P Ubaid of the HC, who granted the stay while considering the appeals filed by Chandy and Aryadan, had observed that Judge Vassan while passing the order for probe had acted as though he was ignorant of the judicial processes of the country and the guidelines issued by the SC.
Justice Ubaid, who observed that Judge Vassan had issued the order irresponsibly and wondered how judicial process could be taken ahead with such judges, also said the administration section would have to consider action against him. He even
went to the extent of saying that the judge had passed
the order without properly examining the petition that came before him.
Meanwhile in a new twist to the solar scam probe, Saritha, who deposed before Justice Sivarajan Commission probing the scam, said she had a discussion with the Chief Minister regarding formation of the company to carry out renewable energy business.
“I was told to create a cooperative institution- Kerala Renewable Energy Cooperative Society ltd- involving Chandy Oommen and some other family members. I was told to incorporate details about renewable energy resources in its bylaws,” she told the Commission.
Judge Vassan had on January 23 ordered registration of an FIR against Excise Minister K Babu, Chandy’s confidant, over the infamous bar bribery scam.
Following this, Babu handed over his resignation to Chandy. The High Court bench of Justice Ubaid himself had stayed that order for two months the other day. This had acted as inspiration for Chandy to seek HC stay in his case.
Responding to the High Court order freezing probe against him and Aryadan, the jubilant Chandy Chief Minister told the newspersons that truth has prevailed. “I have always believed that truth will triumph ultimately,” he said even as intense agitations demanding his resignation raged in State capital Thiruvananthapuram, owing to which he was unable to get out of his official residence.
Chandy and Aryadan, facing charges of bribery in the solar scam, had approached the High Court challenging the Vigilance Court’s order for registration of FIR on Friday morning arguing that the lower court had overstepped its jurisdiction and that the petition over which it passed the order was not legally maintainable. The High Court agreed to most of their arguments.
The Chief Minister has been claiming that the developments relating to the charges against him and his Government in relation to the solar scam were part of a conspiracy of the CPI(M) and a section of the bar owners who had suffered huge losses due to the new liquor policy. He said on Friday, “It is a big shame to Kerala.”
While deposing before the Justice (Retired) G Sivarajan Judicial Commission looking into the solar scam on Wednesday, Saritha Nair had alleged that she had paid Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 40 lakh respectively as bribe to Chandy and Aryadan in 2012 for getting Government support for her solar power company, Team Solar Energy Solutions.
Meanwhile, intense agitations were staged across Kerala on Friday by youth outfits of the Opposition parties demanding Chandy’s resignation. Tension prevailed in centres like Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kochi, Thrissur, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta where protesters clashed with the police.