KOTTAYAM: In a major embarrassment to former Transport Minister Thomas Chandy, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has named him the first accused in a case registered in connection with the illegal filling of paddy fields for constructing a road to Lake Palace Resort in Alappuzha.The Vigilance team which conducted a preliminary inquiry into the allegation submitted its first information report (FIR) in the Court of Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance Court), Kottayam, on Thursday, as per an earlier direction of the court. Vigilance judge V Dilip directed the probe team to submit a final report on April 19.
The FIR has named 22 persons, including Alappuzha District Collectors during 2010-12 as second accused, chairman of the Water World Tourism Company, which owns the resort as third accused, and block development officers of Aryad Block during 2010-12, the fourth accused. Thomas Chandy’s family members and 11 government officers are also in the list of accused in the case.
Notably, the Vigilance has charged serious offences, including IPC 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant), various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and section 23 and 24 of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008, against the accused.
The FIR stated that “Thomas Chandy (Accused 1), conspired with accused 2 to 22 and reclaimed paddy fields in violation of the provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008 and constructed Valiyakulam - Zero Jetty road through privately owned paddy field in Karuveli paddy fields and got road access to the Lake Palace Resort under Water World Tourism company by utilising MP fund of `25 lakh and tarred the road up to the entrance of the resort by using fund of `28.5 lakh from the Fisheries Department. The public servants and others obtained unlawful gain and pecuniary advantage to the Water World company and thereby committed offences of criminal misconduct and criminal breach of trust etc.”
A new team led by Special Investigation unit SP K E Biju filed the FIR in the court.
The court had issued an order for preliminary inquiry and subsequently a direction to submit the FIR on the basis of a complaint filed by Adv M K Subhash, district secretary of Janata Dal (S), Alappuzha. Though the complainant requested the court to issue a direction to the VACB to hand over the case to a new team, the court said it would not intervene in such matters.
Probe team changed
T’Puram: The Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau has shunted out the team that was investigating the land grab case against former minister Thomas Chandy. The Kottayam Vigilance unit that probed the case has been replaced with the Thiruvananthapuram unit. Reportedly, none of the members of the earlier team were included in the new team headed by SP (Vigilance) K E Baiju. The Kottayam unit had conducted a quick verification against the businessman-politician and concluded that a case can indeed be filed against him in connection with the illegal land-filling for laying a road to the Lake Palace Resort owned by him in Alappuzha. In fact, the change was made even as the investigation team submitted an FIR listing 22 people, including Chandy, as accused at the Vigilance Court in Kottayam on Thursday.
The change of team has triggered the complaint that it was done to save Chandy. But state police chief Loknath Behera said it was done as a matter of procedure. “The Special Investigation Unit-1 in Thiruvananthapuram is dubbed the ‘cream unit’ and it is the only unit with a state-wide jurisdiction. The Kottayam unit is relatively small. They have done their part,” Behera said. Sources said the move was also prompted by the fact that the SP in Kottayam is about to retire.
In the spotlight
The FIR has named 22 persons, including Alappuzha District Collectors and Water World Tourism Company chairman
A new team
led by Special Investigation unit SP K E Biju filed the FIR in the Vigilance court