The State Cabinet has decided to entrust the investigation into the alleged attack on Krishnakumar, a teacher at a school owned by former Minister R. Balakrishna Pillai's family at Valakam, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Replying to questions from the media at a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, Communist Party of India leader Mullakkara Ratnakaran, and Kottarakara MLA Aiysha Potty, had, in a memorandum, sought a CBI investigation into the incident.
Mr. Chandy said there was nothing illegal about the release of Mr. Pillai from jail. The government, he said, had only exercised its powers under the Constitution for granting remission to prisoners (benefiting around 2,500 prisoners). The decision was not taken for Mr. Pillai. If so, a decision could have been taken to coincide with Independence Day since the proposal had been pending since August.
ADVERTISEMENT
Asked whether Mr. Pillai's son, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, a Minister in his Cabinet, had influenced the decision, Mr. Chandy replied that Mr. Ganesh Kumar had not attended the Cabinet meeting that took the decision on remissions. The Chief Minister claimed that the government had not given any undue benefit to Mr. Pillai. The paroles granted to him for 75 days had not exceeded the maximum days of parole that could be granted a year. Asked about Mr. Pillai having broken prison rules, thus making him ineligible for remissions, Mr. Chandy said the previous government had given remission to a prisoner who had committed a murder within prison. He added that Mr. Pillai was not sentenced under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the Edamalayar case.
Fee of lawyers
On the question of the government paying the fee to lawyers engaged by Mr. Achuthanandan when he was Chief Minister for getting legal advice, Mr. Chandy said there were procedures for engaging lawyers from outside government service. If the procedures were followed, the fee would be paid. If not, the government had no obligation to pay the fee. The High Court had asked the government to submit the details in this regard.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Chandy said he had received a memorandum from the father of Sari seeking a reinvestigation into the sexual exploitation of his daughter and her death in hospital. However, the case was under trial and he could not make any comment now on the scope for a reinvestigation.