Causing further worries for Kerala’s scam-beleaguered Congress-led UDF Government, a court in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday asked the Vigilance to produce the entire records of investigation into the infamous bar bribery scam pertaining to the charge that Finance and law Minister KM Mani had taken Rs1 crore as bribe from the State’s bar owners even as the Opposition left decided to unleash a legal and political offensive over the scandal.
The Special Vigilance Court in Thiruvananthapuram issued the order while examining the referral report the Vigilance had submitted on Tuesday seeking the court’s permission to wind up the investigation as no evidence was available to establish that Mani had demanded or taken bribe. Also, he had not committed any corruption or misuse of official position, it said.
The judge also ordered serving of notices to Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan and whistleblower-bar owner Biju Ramesh, chief witness in the case, to inform of their objections to the Vigilance’s report, if any. The court will now take up the case on August 7 along with a petition seeking follow-up probe into the bar bribery scam.
legal experts said that the court’s order was a setback to the Government but leaders of Mani’s party, Kerala Congress (M), third biggest UDF constituent, said this was only a normal legal procedure. “We are certain that the court will be convinced of Mani’s innocence once it goes through the records,” said KC(M) general secretary Antony Raju.
As per the final probe report the Vigilance had presented to the court, there was no evidence to establish that the Minister had taken bribe though the Kerala Bar Hotels’ Association had collected huge sums of money from its members — allegedly for bribing him — and its representatives had reached his residence with money.
The bar bribery scam had erupted after Biju Ramesh, working president of the association, alleged on October 31 last that the Finance Minister had demanded bribe of Rs5 crore from the bar owners and had taken Rs1 crore of it in three installments promising to help them in getting the licences renewed for the bars facing closure due to lack of required facilities.
As per the court’s order, the Vigilance will have to produce before it the report of the “quick verification” into the charge against Mani, case diary, the factual report the investigating officer had submitted to his superior at the end of the probe in which he had reportedly recommended prosecution of Mani and the Vigilance Director’s letter recommending winding up of the probe.
This situation could embarrass the Vigilance and the Government as Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) R Sukesan, who had headed the team which probed the scam, had concluded that there were strong evidences against Mani which warranted filing of chargesheet against him and he had reportedly mentioned this in his factual report to his superior.
Sukesan himself had admitted this, as per a sting audio tape. He had said that there was evidence to establish 60 percent of the charges against Mani and that he had faced political pressure during the probe. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also had admitted that he had come under pressure from the Congress and UDF over the Vigilance probe into the scam.
Meanwhile, the State Assembly witnessed ruckus on Thursday after the Speaker refused leave for an adjournment motion of the Opposition which demanded urgent discussions on the Vigilance’s report to the court. As the Speaker rejected the request, Opposition members rushed to the Well forcing him to announce adjournment for the day after rushing through the business. A meeting of the Opposition lDF held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday decided to pursue the bar bribery case in the court and through agitations. Achuthanandan and lDF convener Vaikom Viswan will implead in the case seeking court-monitored reinvestigation against Mani.