KOCHI: The state government has withdrawn the appeal against the single judge’s order quashing the FIR registered by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) against veteran CPM leader V S Achuthanandan for allegedly allotting 2.3 acres to his relative illegally in Kasaragod. The state submitted that it had decided not to proceed with the appeal filed on December 6, 2012, when the UDF Government was in power, challenging the single bench’s judgment of December 6 itself.
The memo filed by the state government stated there was no need to proceed with the appeal and sought permission to withdraw it. The memo was considered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar. The case investigated by the VACB was about the illegal allotment of government land at Kasaragod to T K Soman, a relative of Achuthanandan, while the latter was Chief Minister.
An FIR was registered against eight persons, with VS as the prime accused. It was alleged the land was allotted to Soman under the government scheme for distributing land to the landless and poor. It was also alleged that VS’ personal assistant A Suresh used his influence to make it possible for Soman to sell the land by overcoming the ban on the sale of assigned land for 25 years. While quashing the FIR against Achuthanandan on December 6, the single bench had held the allegations against him were not sustainable by law.