THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday informed the Vigilance Special Court that the private petition filed by former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala in the brewery corruption case will not stand legal scrutiny and hence should not be allowed. Chennithala had earlier sought the court’s intervention in probing the allegation against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Excise Minister T P Ramakrishnan pertaining to the alleged corruption in allocating brewery and distilleries in the state.
The vigilance counsel told the court that since the government did not give its final nod for allocating breweries and distilleries, Chennithala’s petition should not be encouraged. The petitioner’s counsel said that the vigilance does not have the right to raise such contentions as the Criminal Procedure Code does not allow it.
Chennithala had asked the court to direct the department concerned to produce the files pertaining to allocation of brewery licences. To this, the court had told the vigilance to present its objection if they have any. The case will be taken up for hearing on Tuesday.