Alleging a conspiracy in leakage oftelephone conversation between state Information Commissioner,K Natarajan and Vigilance officer V J Kunju, CPI-M leader V SAchutanandan today submitted before Kerala High Court thatefforts were on to implicate him in the land assignment case.
However, the government informed the court that there is'strong' prima facie evidence against the Marxist veteran inthe case relating to assignment of about 2.33 acres inKasaragod to his close relative T K Soman, when he was chiefminister.
In the conversation, leaked to the media and aired by TVchannels, Natarajan is heard asking Kunju, who isinvestigating the case, to go soft on the Marxist leader.
In an affidavit, Achuthanandan alleged the leakage waspart of a conspiracy to implicate him and said government wasbound to explain how the conversation recorded by the IO hadcome into the hands of the media.
The vigilance director has ordered a probe into thelobbying to drop Achutanandan's name from the FIR.
Meanwhile, Director General of Prosecutions T Asaf Ali,in a statement filed in the case, said it was very evidentthat there was an attempt of the Information commissioner tointerfere in the investigation at the instance of thepetitioner, hoping to escape from the clutches of the law.
There was a 'strong' prima facie case againstAchuthanandan and other accused, he stated.
The affidavit by Achuthanandan and statement by DGP wasfiled in a petition seeking to quash the case registeredagainst the Marxist leader by the Kasaragod Vigilance DYSP andto hand over investigation to a senior IPS officer.
Earlier, Achuthanandan's request to change the IO in thecase relating to assignment of about 2.33 acres of land to T KSoman, his close relative, was declined by vigilance director.
Achuthanandan contended that the event which took placeduring the pendency of the case justifies the charges againstthe IO.
The media had given wide coverage to the telephonic talkrecorded by the investigating officer. It would not havereached the hands of the media except through him,Achuthanandan said.
Leakage of the audio when the case is being considered bythe High Court 'casts serious doubts about the fairness of theinvestigating officer,' he said.