The CBI has taken over the investigation into cases against former Chief Minister of Kerala Oomen Chandy, former Union Minister KC Venugopal, both senior Congress leaders, and other politicians related to allegations of sexual exploitation by a prime accused woman in the sensational multi-crore solar scam.
The cases against six politicians, including Chandy, were registered over the last several years and investigated by the Crime Branch of the Kerala Police based on a complaint by the woman, an accused in the multi-crore solar panel scam during the United Democratic Front (UDF) government. The woman had alleged that she was sexually exploited by them in 2012, officials said.
The CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala had recommended a CBI enquiry into the cases in January this year, months ahead of the Assembly elections in the State in April-May.
The Opposition Congress in the State had then dubbed the move as “politically motivated”, saying the CPI-M-led government could not find anything against the party leaders and took the decision as elections were round the corner.
Besides Chandy and Venugopal, MP Hibi Eden, Adoor Prakash, MLA A P Anil Kumar, and BJP leader A P Abdulla Kutty are the accused in the six cases. The case against Kutty was registered in 2014 when he was a Congress MLA from Kannur. He later joined the BJP.
In a letter to the Police Commissioner of Ernakulam on July 19, 2013, the woman had levelled charges of sexual misconduct and corruption against several Congress and UDF leaders, including Chandy, some of his ministers and two former Union ministers.
The agency has taken over the six FIRs registered by the Kerala Crime Branch and re-registered them to investigate the allegations, officials added.