KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Thursday suo motu impleaded former finance minister K M Mani in the petition filed by State Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan challenging the directive of the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court to him to obtain prior government sanction for conducting further investigation in the bar bribery case.
According to Achuthanandan, the bar bribery case involving K M 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 following the recent amendments brought to the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.
The amended provisions which came into force on July 26, 2018, will have no application to the facts of the present case, the petition stated.