KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Thursday suo mottu impleaded former Finance Minister KM Mani on the petition filed by State Administrative Reforms Commission chairman VS Achuthanandan challenging the directive of the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court to him to obtain prior government sanction for conducting a further investigation in the bar bribe case.
According to Achuthanandan, the bar bribery case involving KM Mani was registered in 2014. At that time, no prior sanction from the government was required.
The Vigilance Court in its order had asked him to obtain prior sanction in accordance with the recent amendments brought to the Prevention of Corruption Act. The amended provisions which came into force on July 26, 2018 would have no application to the facts of the present case.