In a dramatic turn of events in the controversial land allotment case, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed a single judge order quashing the FIR registered against Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, hours after it was pronounced.
In its interim order, issued on an appeal moved by the state government, the bench directed the state not to submit the final report in the case till further order.
It was while considering a petition from Achuthanandan on Thursday morning that Justice S S Satheesachandran ordered that the FIR be quashed.
Coming down heavily on the state government, the judge observed, “Some of the features presented in the case are too disturbing, which in fact give enough room to generate suspicion that the machinery of Vigilance is misused and abused to silence a political opponent, framing a case against him on false and frivolous allegations.”Hours later, the state government moved an appeal.
Advocate General K P Dandapani submitted that the single judge omitted to consider the criminal conspiracy hatched by Achuthanandan and revenue officials for relaxing the restriction for alienation of property, and that the FIR was quashed without even examining the case diary.