THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The undue delay of six-and-a-half years by the CBI headquarters in deciding whether to probe rape cases handed over to them by the state government is reason enough for the accused to challenge the fairness of the decision.
The concerns of CBI had ranged from the list of the high-profile accused to the difficulty in collecting evidence for the alleged crime that took place nine years ago. The timing of the decision to hand over the case to CBI was tricky too as the assembly poll was around the corner then. However, there was a decision finally and the agency registered FIRs against all six accused including a national leader of BJP.
It is reliably learnt that the CBI unit office here had recommended that the agency didn’t need to take up the probe. The CBI unit’s recommendation was sent to the headquarters in February, said sources. However, the file was kept pending by the CBI HQ all these months. Along with the loose nature of the case, lack of manpower to probe the case was also cited by the unit chief as reason for not proceeding with the case.
The decision to slap rape charges on former chief minister Oommen Chandy and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal invited sharp reaction from Congress leaders. While both Chandy and Venugopal reasserted their innocence and welcomed any probe, Congress state president K Sudhakaran and Opposition leader V D Satheesan alleged that the nexus between CPM and BJP was behind the case.
“This is part of a political conspiracy. They (CPM) had probed this case for five years using all agencies at their disposal. As a law-abiding citizen, I am ready to face any probe,” said Venugopal. “The alliance between Pinarayi Vijayan and Narendra Modi has been exposed with this probe. Pinarayi Vijayan who has always taken a stand against central agencies is now joining hands with the same agencies to destroy Congress. The complaints levelled by the controversial woman are orchestrated by CPM leaders,” said Sudhakaran.
Satheesan said there was an unholy nexus between BJP and CPM. “The dollar smuggling case has international ramifications. “Despite having a statement by prime accused against Pinarayi Vijayan, the central agencies are not probing his role,” Satheesan told reporters in Kochi. “This probe is not only politically motivated, but also result of a political conspiracy between CPM and BJP,” he said.
When asked about the political motive behind the probe, CPM acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan denied the allegation and said it was natural that the Opposition would have worries regarding the probe.