The State Government has never retracted from the decision to leave the Data Centre case probe to the CBI, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said here on Tuesday.
He said that the Cabinet, which met today, once again decided to stick on to the CBI probe plea. ‘’Media reports in this regard and statements based on them were wrong. The affidavit of the State Government is going to be filed in the Supreme Court only on October 7,’’ Chandy said at a post-Cabinet media briefing.
The apparent move by the government to soft pedal on the CBI probe plea in the case during the course of a hearing in the Supreme Court a few days ago had drawn all round flak in the UDF camp. Owning up all decisions taken in the Data Centre case, the Chief Minister also defended Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and said that the latter had no role in the case.
“As IT Minister is in charge of the Data Centre, I had discussed the matter with P K Kunhalikutty only. Thiruvanchoor was not consulted. He has been targetted deliberately by the media and a few others,’’ the Chief Minister said. ‘’I had explained the facts at a meeting of UDF leaders the other day, in which, the KPCC president was also present. Everyone was convinced,’’ Chandy said.
AG’s Submission
Chandy said that the confusion and misunderstanding over court developments were caused by an earlier submission of the Advocate General.
“The AG had submitted that the government had decided to leave the probe to the CBI, but the court recorded it as already effected. It had invited sharp criticism of the court and the government decided to bring in the Attorney General to avoid further embarrassment to the Advocate General in the court,’’ Chandy said. “What the Attorney General told the court was that he will advise the State Government to withdraw the plea for CBI probe. It was his own view. What I had communicated clearly and directly to him earlier itself was that the government wanted a CBI probe,’’ Chandy said.
“The government stand will be presented in the Supreme Court. There will be no watering down on it under any circumstances in the Data Centre case,’’ the Chief Minister said.
On the delay in bringing out a notification based on the Government Order leaving the Data Centre case to the CBI, the Chief Minister said that it was due to a stay granted by the Supreme Court on the probe by the country’s premier investigation agency. “The media, which has correctly pointed out the Cabinet decision to leave the case to the CBI, has cared little to mention the stay granted by the SC on April 12, 2012,’’ he said.
“The government has nothing to hide. Even the Cabinet meet held on September 25, 2013 had ratified the decision for a CBI probe and there will not be any shift in the stance,’’ the Chief Minister said.