The Vigilance court on Thursday gave an ultimatum of nearly two months to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to submit the preliminary investigation report on the alleged irregularities in Travancore Titanium Products Ltd (TTP), in which Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is allegedly involved.
Vigilance judge S Mohandas asked the VACB to file the report on February 5 after the investigation team had broken several deadlines given by the court to submit the report. Though the VACB asked for three more months to file the report, the court gave only two months’ time. Arguing its case, the counsel for VACB submitted that it needed more time to take the statement of Chandy. Moreover, former Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem had not responded to the notice for taking his statement as a witness. According to the VACB, more than 90 persons were questioned and as many as 100 documents were examined.
Adv Chandrasekharan, the counsel of petitioner Jayan, argued against granting more time as it would delay the trial. He said that the the Vigilance was showing some inhibition in filing the FIR. In general cases, the FIR is filed in no time but in this case, the preliminary inquiry has been going on from 2006.
He said that the investigating agency had totally disregarded the observation of the court. None of the witnesses were summoned and questioned, he alleged. The case relates to alleged irregularities in implementing a Rs 256 crore waste treatment plant during the regime of the former UDF Government. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala and V K Ibrahim Kunju, the then Industries Minister, are among those listed in the petition as respondents.