KOCHI: The amicus curiae appointed by the Kerala High Court to assist the court in a public interest litigation challenging the appointment of former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac as an advisor to the Vijnana Keralam (Knowledge Kerala) project has informed that the appointment made is to a department that does not exist.
Considering the submission, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu impleaded Isaac as an additional respondent. It also directed the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) and Isaac to file a reply to the report of the amicus curiae.
The petitioner, who claimed to be a public activist, had submitted that the government order stated that, “For the coordination of activities of ‘Vijnana Keralam’, it was decided to appoint Isaac as the advisor of the project till the end of the tenure of the present government. This was a clear example of nepotism and favouritism,” the petitioner alleged.
Isaac was appointed the advisor for Knowledge Kerala Project by the government in December 2024.