P.V. Sreenijin, elder son-in-law of the National Human Rights Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan, resigned his membership of the Kerala Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) here on Wednesday.
The young lawyer-politician has been under the spotlight over the last few days over allegations that he had acquired assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Mr. Sreenijin's resignation followed the Youth Congress' decision to seek an explanation from him on reports and visuals of real estate acquisitions that appeared in the media.
The PYC's newly elected president, P.C. Vishnunath, and vice-president M. Liju assumed office on Wednesday, and the reconstituted State committee held its first meeting here.
Mr. Sreenijin is said to have refuted the charge of amassing illegitimate wealth and said his resignation was meant to protect the party's image.
More kin involved?
On Wednesday, a related issue — that of the former CJI's brother, K.G. Bhaskaran, a Special Government Pleader in the Kerala High Court who is handling cases involving the scheduled communities, acquiring properties beyond his known sources of income — figured as a question during Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan's weekly Cabinet briefing.
The Chief Minister said the government had not received any complaint against him and would act if one was received. Mr. Bhaskaran went on medical leave after the local media carried reports about his alleged acquisitions.
The reports said the former CJI's younger son-in-law, Benny, had also acquired nearly one acre of land in a fast-developing area in Ernakulam district.
In another development, a petition was filed in the Thrissur Vigilance Court on Wednesday seeking a vigilance investigation into the allegations against the former CJI and his relatives.
The petition was filed by George Vattakulam, State president of the Kerala Malayala Vedi. The court admitted the petition and posted it for hearing on January 18.
