Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today expressed regret for certain adverse references against three leading Malayalam dailies in a police report on alleged leak of information on inter-state water issues to Tamil Nadu government by an official of that state.
Terming as 'unfortunate' the naming of three Malayalam dailies in the report, Chandy said neither the newspapers nor their journalists worked against the interest of the state.
"They have also not done anything wrong," he told reporters after a cabinet meeting which considered the probe report of the Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan into the report submitted by police.
Last week itself, Chandy had refuted the charge of leak of information and said intelligence reports should be taken only as an intimation to government to act with greater vigilance.
Chandy had ordered an inquiry on the basis of a joint letter given to him by Malayala Manorama Managing Editor Philip Mathew, Mathrubhumi Managing Editor P V Chandran and Kerala Kaumudi Managing Director M S Ravi last week.
The issue pertained to references in the report submitted by intelligence wing of the state police to the government which claimed that a Tamil Nadu official camping in Kerala capital had been securing vital information regarding the state's position on inter-state water issues.
Following this, a section of the local press had reported that some reporters working in three leading Malayalam dailies had run stories supporting the neighbouring state receiving benefits from the official concerned.
In their joint letter, the editors wanted the government to probe how such defaming allegations against their dailies had crept into the intelligence report.
