THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after former higher education minister K T Jaleel's insinuating Facebook post against Lokayukta justice Cyriac Joseph, the Indian Lawyers' Congress has filed a contempt of court case against the CPM-backed independent legislator accusing him of maligning the authority of the anti-graft judicial body.
On Sunday, the legislator claimed that Kerala Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph “would do anything if he gets adequate reward” for it.
Following this, the case was filed by Rajeev KS, Thiruvananthapuram district president of Indian Lawyers' Congress, a forum of lawyers affiliated to the Indian National Congress, before the Lokayukta.
The petitioner alleged that Jaleel had to quit the office of the minister after the Lokayukta found that the charges of favouritism, nepotism and violation of oath of office were substantiated against
him. Embittered by this, Jaleel "made many disparaging and scandalizing public remarks against Lokayukta at various places," the petitioner alleged.
The incident pertaining to the case was the Facebook post made by Jaleel on Sunday where he, without taking Cyriac Joseph's name, cast serious aspersions on the former apex court judge.
Jaleel had written that Lokayukta "will do anything for money and position and the UDF was using him as a weapon to stab Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from behind". It was alleged that the Lok Ayukta
while being a judge in the High Court had saved a UDF senior leader in return for a plum post for his sister-in-law. It was construed that Jaleel was referring to the appointment of Jancy James as the
Vice-chancellor of the MG University apparently in return for a verdict in the infamous Icecream parlour case in which IUML strongman P K Kunjalikutty was the main accused.
The petitioner said Jaleel had breached the law by making a Facebook post scandalizing the Lokayukta and its majesty and that warranted action under the Contempt of Court Act, 1971.
It was further alleged that Jaleel made the scathing attack with an ill intention to malign Lokayukta and to shake the foundation of the institution that's working against all kinds of misgovernance.
This comes at a time when the Opposition has been up in arms against the CPI(M)-led government for its decision to bring an Ordinance to amend the Kerala Lokayukta Act in a manner that reportedly gives it powers to reject the report of the anti-corruption ombudsman.