The Kerala High Court on Thursday declined to interfere and monitor a Vigilance probe into the bribery charge levelled by bar owners against Finance Minister K.M. Mani, for the time being.
Observing that such “extreme extraordinary measures” could not now be resorted to at this preliminary stage of investigation, Justice P. Ubaid asked the petitioner, who sought a court- monitored probe, to wait and urge specific grounds for interference and monitoring of the probe when he found that there was something wrong in the investigation or if he felt that the investigation was going on the wrong track.
As of now, the court did not find any reason for interfering in the investigation, especially when the matter required to be heard in detail on the question of law regarding the power of the court under the Constitution to interfere in an investigation, the court observed.
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The court adjourned to next month the hearing on a petition filed by the All Kerala Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Protection Council, Palakkad, seeking a court-monitored investigation.
The court pointed out that the petitioner had sought monitoring of the probe by the court on the ground that the person against whom the investigation was on was a Minister.
That could not be a ground for the court to monitor the investigation, if at all possible, the court added.
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When the petition came up for hearing, Advocate General K.P. Dandapani submitted that the investigation was at a preliminary stage.