In a setback to the Kerala NCP, a court in Kottayam on Thursday directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to conduct a detailed investigation by registering an FIR against its leader Thomas Chandy, who had resigned as State Transport Minister in November over charges of land and lake encroachment and illegal land-filling of paddy field for construction of a road by misappropriating public funds.
The Court of Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), Kottayam, ordered the probe against Chandy, one of the only two MlAs of the NCP, a partner of the CPI(M)-led ruling lDF, on the basis of the VACB’s finding that he had constructed a road to the lake Place Resort he owned in Alappuzha by violating the Paddy land and Wet land Conservation Act of 2008.
Vigilance Judge V Dilip issued the order while hearing a petition filed by MK Subhash, a lawyer and Alappuzha district secretary of the Janata Dal (S), another lDF constituent. The case would now be taken up on January 18. The Vigilance court directed the VACB to submit its report by that day.
The probe against Chandy would be held on the charges of violating the Paddy land and Wet land Conservation Act and conspiracy. Chandy, the richest legislator in Kerala, had constructed the road using Rs 28 lakh allotted by the Harbour Engineering Department and Rs 25 lakh from the fund of two MPs.
The Vigilance court had on November 4, 2017 directed the VACB to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the charges against Chandy and had asked it to submit its report within a month. However, the agency got a month’s extension. The court ordered the probe on Thursday on the basis of a report filed by M Johnson Joseph Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), Kottayam.
The Vigilance had through its preliminary probe found that the one-kilometer road leading to Chandy’s resort was constructed by land-filling paddy field without obtaining clearances from the State and district paddy field conservation committees and the Government. Johnson recommended probe into the allegation by stating that officials could have connived in this.
The Vigilance SP submitted his report to the court on Thursday after it was cleared by State police chief loknath Behera, who is also the VACB Director. The preliminary finding is that Chandy had got the MP funds released by creating an impression that this was a project for the local people but only his resort got the benefit of the road on completion of construction.
Chandy, who has businesses in Kerala and the Gulf, had resigned as minister on November 15 following the controversies over his alleged encroachment of land and lake and illegal construction of the road. He had become Minister on April 1 last after the other NCP legislator, AK Saseendran, resigned from the lDF Cabinet following a sexual harassment scandal.