Pathanamthitta: Anil Antony, the BJP candidate for the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha Constituency, vehemently denied allegations leveled against him, asserting that he did not accept Rs 25 lakh to appoint standing counsel for the CBI in the Kerala High Court.
TG Nandakumar, also known as "Dalal (broker) Nandakumar," had previously accused Anil of engaging in such misconduct.
"The opposition is engaging in dirty politics out of fear of my victory. These baseless allegations are a result of a conspiracy involving a criminal case accused. Nandakumar, who was jailed for theft of an idol from a family temple, is now falsely implicating me. As a Stanford graduate, I refuse to stoop to their level of conspiracy," Anil, the son of veteran Congress leader AK Antony, stated to the media.
“Congress veteran P J Kurian introduced me to Nandakumar, but I severed ties when he began seeking favors, even demanding transfers of judges. Kurian's betrayal is evident; he deceived K Karunakaran, AK Antony, and Oomman Chandy. Nandakumar has settled cases for Kurian. Now, they're orchestrating this drama, but their attempts have failed," he added.
Meanwhile, Kurian corroborated Nandakumar's allegations, claiming that Nandakumar had approached him to retrieve the bribe money given to Anil Antony for the appointment of counsel in the Kerala High Court.
"I asked Anil to return the money in instalments, which he did. Nandakumar had connections in Delhi, but I cannot confirm any involvement in the CBI appointment. However, I am confident that Antony cannot be influenced. Our firm believes he had no role in that deal," Kurian asserted.
Nandakumar had alleged that Anil received Rs 25 lakh for the appointment of standing counsel in April 2013, citing Anil's association with the then CBI director, Ranjith Sinha.