Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition by former Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan seeking a CBI probe into the case registered on the basis of disclosures by a relative of a State Minister P. K. Kunhalikutty that he had tried to influence witnesses in the ice-cream parlour case.
Dismissing the petition, a division bench comprising Chief Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice P. R. Ramachandra Menon said the court would monitor the investigations in the case.
Advocate General K. P. Dandapani assured the court that the investigations would be completed and the charge-sheet filed in 90 days.
According to Mr. Achuthanandan, during the last seven months no investigation was done in a case registered on the basis of the statements by K. A. Rauf, a close relative of Mr. Kunhalikutty, who later fell out of his favour.
Mr. Rauf had told media personnel in Kozhikode few months ago that Mr. Kunhalikutty had used money power and him (Rauf) to influence witnesses, prosecutors, social workers and judicial officers to escape from the case.
The case has been posted to December 22.
The sex scandal had rocked Kerala in the late 1990s when it came to light that an ice cream parlour in Kozhikode was being used to lure women into prostitution. There were allegations about Mr. Kunhalikutty’s involvement in the case, but he did not figure as an accused in the case.
