The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) not to relieve the officer investigating the allegations of financial irregularities in microfinance schemes against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan and others till final reports are filed in all the cases.
Justice K. Babu passed the order on a writ petition filed by M.S. Anil seeking a directive to constitute a special investigation team to probe the allegations. The court also directed the investigation officer to submit periodic reports before the court.
When the case was taken up for hearing, the investigation officer, who appeared in person, submitted a report on the progress of the investigation. He stated that within three months, the final report in respect of a part of the transactions could be submitted.
As the alleged transactions spread across the entire State, the investigation agency required a further time of three months to complete the investigation into the rest of the transactions.
The VACB had in 2016 filed FIRs against Mr. Natesan and four others in the alleged financial irregularities in the SNDP Yogam’s microfinance scheme on a complaint filed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader V.S. Achuthanandan.
Mr. Achuthanandan had alleged that Mr. Natesan and others abused their position and misused public money provided by the Kerala State Backward Classes Development Corporation. The alleged misappropriation of funds under the microfinance scheme for a period of 12 years from 2003 came to around ₹15 crore.
