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A Special Vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram said that fresh case can be registered against Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, Home minister Ramesh Chennithala and Public Works minister V K Ibrahimkunju, without prior permission, in the pollution control plant scam at the state- owned Travancore Titanium Products Limited [TTPL]. The vigilance Special Judge, John K Illikkadan said that these three were not ministers when the case was first registered in 2006. So prior permission is not necessary to prosecute them. Protocol immunity is not applicable here as per the latest verdicts of the Supreme court. The court said that Vigilance can now go ahead with the case registering fresh FIR against them.
Gross misappropriation happened in the implementation of the project and in importing equipment for the power plant. The investigating team will interrogate K K Ramachandran Master, the then Health minister. The court observed that there was financial irregularity in the project and the state exchequer had lost huge sum of money. The court expressed dissatisfaction in not questioning Rajeev, who was the alleged mediator in importing the equipment that costs roughly Rs 65 crore. The acts of the then director board of the company and the Public Enterprises Board were also suspicious.
On Thursday the judge has ordered fresh probe in the case, rejecting a report filed by the Vigilance department of the Kerala Police.
The court also asked the Police to register case against 12 persons, including chief minister, Home minister, Public Works minister and former Industries secretary T Balakrishnan. The investigation should be completed in four months time.
Meanwhile, Chief minister Oommen Chandy today clarified that in the petition filed in the case in 2006 the name of the chief minister was not mentioned. Vigilance enquiry was conducted during the time of Left Front government. Vigilance again gave petition in the court including the name of chief minister, Ramesh Chennithala and V K Ibrahimkunju in 2011. It is known that vigilance has submitted its report in the court after conducting probe into all these petitions. Vigilance recorded the statement of Chandy. He said that the cabinet has discussed about contract of the pollution plant and taken the decision.
Pollution control board gave notice that if waste water treatment plant is not set up within seven days as per the verdict of the Supreme Court, Travancore Titanium will be closed down. After that, High court also gave a similar notice. It is on this basis that the cabinet took steps so that this industry is not closed down. For this MeCon, a Public Sector Undertaking under Central Government was entrusted with the job. The follow up steps were then initiated by the Left government. The then Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem laid the foundation stone for the project. Then the same government dragged the project without any reason thus increasing the project cost. It was during the period of left government that financial transactions took place and loss happened, he said in a statement.
Chennithala also denied involvement in the scam as he was not a minister or having any official status during that period. The opposition parties have asked both to step down, but both rejected this stating that their demand s politically motivated.
