Kerala govt transfers Solar Scam case to CBI, Congress claims 'politically motivated move'

In a significant development, the Kerala Government has decided to handover the sexual harassment case in the Solar Scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Many Congress leaders including former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and national general secretary KC Venugopal are among the accused in the case.

According to a notification issued by the state Home Department, as many as six cases of the solar scam that were being probed by the Crime Branch have been handed over to CBI. The Solar scam was one of the political planks of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government during the previous assembly elections of 2016 and it was one of the significant reasons for the downfall of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government.

Former CM Oommen Chandy and Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Hibi Eden and Adoor Prakash, MLA AP Anil Kumar and former Congress turned BJP leader AP Abdulla Kutty are the accused in the six cases.

The decision to transfer the case was taken after the complainant who had levelled allegations of rape against the Congress leaders, had recently written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking CBI probe as the police probe had limitations. The complainant woman is also accused of duping several investors of crores of rupees by offering to set up solar panel units for them. The solar panel scam involved a fraudulent solar energy company, Team Solar Energy.

In a letter to the police commissioner on July 19, 2013, the woman had levelled charges of sexual misconduct and corruption against several Congress and UDF leaders, including Chandy, some of his ministers and two former Union ministers. Oommen Chandy is also accused of accepting a bribe of Rs 1.9 crore in the matter. Incidentally, the move also comes after Oommen Chandy was made the chief of the Congress election management committee ahead of the assembly polls which are likely to be held in May this year.

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Opposition calls it 'politically motivated' move ahead of assembly elections  

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has called it a political move taken in view of upcoming assembly elections in the state. "The government, which had been in power for five years but could not find anything, handed over the case to the CBI in the run-up to the elections for political purposes," he said.

"The Supreme Court Judge Arijit Pasayat has given legal advice to the government that the case is not valid and cannot be taken forward. Yet, with the Assembly elections coming up, cases have been handed over to CBI. People of Kerala will identify the political motive behind the move," he added.

Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan also slammed the government's decision and said that the decision was taken as the Pinarayi Vijayan Government feared defeat in the assembly polls due to “the loss of face it suffered” because of the gold smuggling case and the Life Mission project.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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