On Monday, the Lokayukta dismissed a petition accusing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and 18 former Ministers of misusing the Chief Minister Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). The three-member bench, led by Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph, Justice Haroon Al Rashid, and Justice Babu Mathew P Joseph, delivered the verdict after 3 pm.
According to the court, ‘There is no evidence to prove that the CMDRF funds were misused. The CM has the right to grant a maximum amount of Rs 3 lakh from the relief fund. There is no proof that the grant was politically motivated.’
RS Sasikumar, the petitioner, expressed determination to pursue the legal battle to the Supreme Court of India, alleging that the Lokayukta was influenced by the government. The petition was filed on September 7, 2018, and a three-member bench took charge on March 31, following a division bench disagreement.
Simultaneously, the interim petition seeking recusal of two Deputy Lokayuktas from the case was rejected. These officials had released the biography of late KK Ramachandran Nair, involved in the relief fund complaint.
Sasikumar’s complaint detailed alleged misuse of CMDRF funds, including Rs 25 lakh for the education of Uzhavoor Vijayan’s children, an NCP leader; Rs 8.5 lakh and an assistant engineer position for the late Ramachandran Nair’s son, an MLA from Chengannur; and Rs 20 lakh, a government job, and other benefits for the widow of a police officer killed in an accident involving the late Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s pilot vehicle.
Lokayukta Justice Cyriac Joseph and Deputy Lokayukta Babu Mathew P Joseph’s terms are set to conclude in January.
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