KOCHI: The landmark SNC-Lavalin order by the Kerala High Court on Wednesday had a subplot. The court, which gave a clean-chit to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, held three former KSEB officers must face trial for it to decide on the allegations against them. The Single Judge held the allegations against second accused K G Rajasekharan Nair, former KSEB chief accounts officer, third accused R Sivadasan, former KSEB chairman and fourth accused Kasthuri Ranga Iyer, then KSEB chief engineer, require examination and probe during the trial.“Without a trial, the court cannot take a decision on the allegations against them. I find material to form an opinion on the CBI allegation against them that the trio might have abused their official position to cause the gain to SNC Lavalin or profit out of the deal. Let the truth of the allegations be examined during the trial. If they had no vicious or dishonest role or involvement, they would get an acquittal.
The merits of the allegations against the three accused cannot be gone into now and decided. Let things be examined and decided by the trial court,” the Single Judge observed. Allowing the revision petition filed by CBI in part, the HC directed the trial court to frame charges against the trio and proceed lawfully. The court held the order of discharge made by the trial court in their favour will stand set aside.The court said other persons involved in the making of the contract are no more as two of them died pending investigation process and fifth accused Sidhartha Menon, former KSEB chairman, died pending the revision petition.
The three accused have designed the projects. They perpetrated the contracts which happened to be executed in suspicious circumstances. They were the ones who allegedly caused monetary gain and pecuniary advantage to SNC Lavalin. The persons “absolved” by the CBI are late G Karthikeyan, former Power Minister, and R Gopalakrishnan, former KSEB member. The CBI had detected some role of MM Mathew Roy, the third accused in the FIR, who died.
‘Feather in Pinarayi’s cap’
T’Puram: The verdict is another feather in Pinarayi’s cap, said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. Welcoming the verdict, Kodiyeri said the CBI was selectively targeting Pinarayi. “The CBI was selectively choosing Pinarayi. Many ministers have held the Power portfolio. While those who were part of the deal were not included, Pinarayi was targeted. The then Union Government under Congress was misusing the CBI,” Kodiyeri said. He said the High Court criticised the CBI action of naming only
Pinarayi as the accused.
M K Damodaran’s absence: Sadness amid jubilation in CPM camp
Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was a relieved man on Wednesday. Yet, complete happiness eluded him. Reason: M K Damodaran, the legal ace who backed Pinarayi in the two-decade-long legal fight in the SNC-Lavalin case, was not in the courtroom to witness the court grant Pinarayi clean chit in the case. If only death had granted Damodaran a clemency for seven more days, the legal luminary who took up the gauntlet and fought the seemingly uphill battle for Pinarayi right from day one would have let out a triumphant smile. “If sir was alive, he would have been very happy. The joy would have kept him alive for a few more days,” was how K A Raju, an advocate clerk who worked with the legal expert for over 20 years, put it. Pinarayi missed him too.