High drama likely over solar report

Govt unlikely to make haste for probe into Saritha’s sexual exploitation charges

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, 09/05/2015: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with KPCC President V.M. Sudheeran and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala during the KPCC meeting on May 09, 2015. Photo: S. Mahinsha

The government will place the solar judicial commission report in the Assembly at its special session here on Thursday. The session would be a brief affair, possibly involving just Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tabling the commission report and the action taken report in the House.

In a significant development, the Cabinet is understood to have decided not to register cases against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other Congress leaders immediately over the allegations of sexual exploitation raised by solar scam accused Saritha S. Nair.

It is weeks since the Chief Minister announced that the Cabinet had decided to initiate an investigation against Mr. Chandy and other United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders named by Saritha in a letter she had written to the commission. The government could not follow up on the announcement with the necessary orders initiating the investigations reportedly because there was confusion on whether such an action would stand legal scrutiny. Former judge of the Supreme Court Arijit Pasayat is stated to have warned the government against rushing ahead with any such investigation without sufficient supporting evidence.

The Assembly is likely to witness uproarious scenes as the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has resolved to use the opportunity to raise the row over Transport Minister Thomas Chandy’s alleged encroachment of government land and backwaters in Alappuzha.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala is suspending his Padayorukkam march for a day to be in the House. Apparently in anticipation of such a move, the government on Wednesday evening announced the appointment of Superintendent of Police (Vigilance), Kottayam, as officer who would investigate the allegations against Mr. Thomas Chandy as directed by the Kottayam Vigilance Court the other day.

While Mr. Oommen Chandy, against whom serious allegations, including that of sexual exploitation, have been levelled, said he was not afraid of any investigation into the whole issue. “We will see who would have to hide their faces once the report is tabled in the Assembly,” he told reporters in Kozhikode.

Speaking from the same venue, Mr. Chennithala said the government’s attempt was to defame and humiliate Mr. Chandy and other Congress leaders using the solar scam allegations.