The Kerala Lok Ayukta on Monday ordered the State police to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the accusation that at least three top leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) had conspired to obtain illegal monetary gain by nominating Bennet Abraham, director of a self-financing college, as the party’s candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, allegedly overlooking the claims of dedicated party workers and against the wishes of its district unit.
Other than Mr. Abraham, the inquiry would also focus on the party’s State secretary Pannian Ravindran and its two top apparatchiks C. Divakaran and P. Ramachandran Nair, the main respondents in the case.
Lok Ayukta judges Pius. C. Kuriakose and K. P. Balachandran ordered Inspector General of Police Suresh Raj Purohit to investigate the case. They empowered him to search and seize any evidence relevant to the alleged offence, including pertinent party minutes and internal reports, in the event his official requests went unheeded.
The court specifically ordered Mr. Purhoit to collect the report of the party commission that inquired into the allegations regarding the candidature.
The court said the report was not binding on it. However, if the allegations of the complainant were proved, the actions of the respondents would amount to corruption and maladministration.
Public servantsThe judges said party apparatchiks were public servants and hence came within the purview of the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act. The complainant, A. Shamnad, had alleged that Mr. Abraham had paid Rs.1.87 crore or more to the respondents to secure his candidature. His case hinged on the purported findings of the party inquiry commission, subsequent demotion of certain leaders and the minutes of the district committee meeting, which opposed the nomination.
The court ordered Mr. Purohit to submit a report identifying the persons, if any, who are guilty of corruption or maladministration in the matter of Mr. Abraham’s candidature.
It will hear the case again on December 24.
