KOCHI: Ajitha Thankappan, the former chairperson of Thrikkakara municipality, continues to grapple with challenges after stepping down from her post last month. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has now registered a corruption case against her, in connection with the distribution of Rs 10,000 each to councillors as an Onam gift. Prakash Kumar U, the Thrikkakara Municipality Revenue Inspector, has also been named as the second accused in this case.
In September 2021, all councillors of Thrikkakara municipality received Rs 10,000 each as an Onam gift, which sparked controversy and protests from opposition councillors who alleged corruption. This outcry led to a protest where opposition councillors blocked Ajitha from entering the Municipality office, demanding access to CCTV footage that supposedly depicted her handing over cash to the councillors.
A subsequent VACB investigation report led to this case being registered. Ajitha decided to step down from her municipal chairperson post last month due to a seat-sharing agreement within the Congress. Currently, Congress ‘A’ group councillor Radhamani Pillai is the chairperson.
The case has been filed based on a complaint lodged by independent councillor P C Manoop from the 15th ward of Thrikkakara. The VACB headquarters approved the registration and initiation of the investigation. Both Ajitha and Prakash are expected to be interrogated as part of the ongoing probe.
Preliminary investigations by VACB revealed that out of a fund allocation of Rs 10 lakh for various celebrations, expenses were allegedly inflated for events like Onam, Independence Day, Chingam, and support to healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Subsequently, this fund was used to provide Rs 10,000 each to 43 councillors during the Onam celebrations in 2021,” said a Vigilance official. Furthermore, Ajitha entrusted Prakash with coordinating the 2021 Onam celebration at Thrikkakara municipal office.
”He received blank bills from Kunnumpuram Agency, Payasakalavara, and Highlight Photography, all based in Kakkanad. Subsequently, an amount of Rs 80,500 was inserted into the bill provided by the Kunnumpuram agency. Similarly, Rs 1.15 lakhs and Rs 10,000 were added to the receipts of Payasakalavara and Highlight Photography respectively.
These manipulated bills were then submitted to the Municipality, falsely representing them as expenses for the Onam celebration,” explained the officer. The investigation is being conducted by R Madhu, the Inspector of Vigilance Ernakulam Unit. The team has already collected CCTV footage depicting the cash distribution to the councillors and obtained a comprehensive statement from Manoop. Additional statements from more councillors, including the current Mayor Radhamani Pillai, are scheduled to be recorded in the near future.