KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Vigilance Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) to file a statement explaining the progress of the probe in the Palarivattom flyover corruption case involving former PWD Minister Ebrahim Kunju.
The court adjourned the bail plea of Ebrahim Kunju to Friday. The court also directed Vigilance sleuths to inform it about the necessity for getting the petitioner in custody.
When the case came up for hearing on Monday, KV Sohan, state attorney, submitted that custodial interrogation of the petitioner is needed. The agency got only four hours to question him. The VACB filed a petition seeking custody for four days.
Senior advocate B Raman Pillai, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that he was not responsible for the award of contract or the execution of work undertaken by the department.
The sanction of advance to the construction company was formally approved when it reached his office after being recommended by two IAS officers and routed through proper channels in the secretariat, he said. The investigating officer could not find any reliable materials against him to justify his arrest while being under medical treatment. A false story of criminal conspiracy is alleged against the petitioner. The allegation that he had illegally sanctioned an amount of Rs. 8,25,59,768 (about Rs 8.256 crore) as mobilization advance was false, he said.
Kunju further stated that he was arrested in the Palarivattom flyover scam for political reasons rather than for the purpose of investigation.