The Kerala High Court on Wednesday extended by two weeks the time granted to the Crime Branch to file a charge sheet in a criminal case registered against SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan for the alleged misappropriation of funds collected for the golden jubilee celebrations of the Kollam SN College during 1997-98.
Justice Sunil Thomas passed the order while closing a contempt of court petition filed against the investigation officer for not filing the charge sheet within the time stipulated by the court.
When the petition came up for hearing, Senior Public Prosecutor Suman Chakravarthy submitted that a charge sheet would be filed in the case in two weeks.
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The Senior Public Prosecutor further submitted the investigation into the case was over and the Director, Crime Branch, had already approved the charge sheet. In the meantime, Shaji Sugunan, Superintendent of Police, who was the investigation officer, sought his legal opinion on his competency to file a charge sheet before the Kollam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in view of his transfer to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau(VACB).
The court closed the contempt of court case filed by P. Surendra Babu, former SN Trust board member, in the light of the submission by the prosecutor.
The court also made it clear that in case the final report was not filed within the extended time limit or if any further grievance survives, the petitioner could revive the contempt petition.
During the hearing, the counsel for Mr. Natesan contended that that the balance amount after meeting the expenses was deposited in the trust’s account. The investigation officer had refused to take and consider the ledger and other documentary evidence offered by him.
It was on his petition in 2018 that the court ordered the constitution of a special investigation team headed by a Superintendent of Police to probe the criminal case.
Mr. Natesan was then the general secretary of the S.N. Trust and by virtue of that post, he also held the post of the manager of SN College. It was also alleged in the petition that under the influence of Mr. Natesan no effective investigation was being conducted despite registering the case in 2004.
The funds were collected for the construction of an auditorium and library as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the college.