The Thodupuzha First Class Magistrate Court on Saturday ordered a summons to Kerala Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph to appear before the court on October 22 in connection with a case alleging that the Minister had sent a “blank” SMS to a woman residing in Thodupuzha.
The court ordered the summons on the basis of the witnesses' evidences, including that of her husband.
Mr. Joseph has been charged under Section 511 (moral guilt) of the IPC and Section 6 of the Information Technology Act. The court is inquiring into the case on its own, cross-examining witnesses, including officials of the Telecom Department and Cyber Cell.
Peerumedu MLA E.S. Bijimol, who appeared before the court as a witness, said she was not aware of any such incident nor in any way connected with it.
The complainant's husband, during in-camera proceedings, alleged that there had been a threat to his life from party workers ever since the case was registered. The SMS issue came to the fore during the last Assembly election, when Mr. Joseph contested from the Thodupuzha constituency after the merger of his party, Kerala Congress (Joseph), which was a partner in the Left Democratic Front, with the Kerala Congress (Mani).
Mr. Joseph alleged political conspiracy behind the case. It was a fabricated one intended to tarnish his image and would be dealt with legally.